Sharjah: Striker Sardor Rashidov is determined to stay focused after Uzbekistan sealed an emphatic 2-1 victory over Oman in their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group F tie at the Sharjah Stadium on Wednesday.
Uzbekistan took time to settle into the match against the pacey West Asians before eventually finding the net through Odil Ahmedov’s strike to lead 1-0 at the break.
Hector Cuper’s men soon found themselves defending deep at the start of the second half and were unable to stop Muhsen Al Ghassani from levelling the tie.
Despite the shift in momentum, the White Wolves were able to carve up a goal with five minutes left after substitute Eldor Shomurodov caught the Omani defence napping to snatch a last-gasp winner.
“It was a difficult match for us (against Oman). This is only our first match in the AFC Asian Cup and we will try our best in the next game and make our fans happy,” said the forward, who plays with Uzbekistan side Lokomotiv Tashkent.
Uzbekistan will now face Turkmenistan, who fell 3-2 against the Samurai Blue, at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Rashidov knows the tough task that awaits his team when they face the Emeralds in the second round of matches in the Continental showpiece.
“Turkmenistan played against Japan in the early match and they lost... but they are a good team. They are tactically strong on and off the ball with plenty of quality players.”
Source: the-afc.com