We are not under pressure – Eldor Shomurodov

Uzbekistan national team captain Eldor Shomurodov said the team does not feel pressure ahead of its second-round World Cup group stage match against Portugal and will take the field aiming for a good result. Shomurodov spoke about this at a pre-match press conference.

“Of course, we are not under pressure. That is why I think the match may be easier for us than for Portugal. There is a good atmosphere in our team. After the first match, our self-confidence also increased. We made our World Cup debut, and now we will take the field for a good result,” Shomurodov said.

He also said the team is not thinking about Portugal’s result in the first round.

“We did not pay particular attention to the result of Portugal’s first-round match. Now is not the time to think about that. Perhaps we will discuss it after the third round, but right now all our attention is focused on today’s match,” the national team captain said.

Shomurodov also noted that the team had drawn the necessary conclusions from the mistakes made in the match against Colombia.

“In the first half against Colombia, our failure to fully carry out the coach’s instructions led to some mistakes. Now we will try not to repeat such shortcomings. We will aim to show our own game, control the ball more and create scoring chances,” he said.

Shomurodov also commented on the team’s psychological state.

“Everything is good. It is natural to feel excitement, but that feeling disappears from the first minutes after stepping onto the pitch,” Shomurodov said.

Eldor also emphasized that his understanding with Abbosbek Fayzullayev is at a high level.

For reference, the Portugal-Uzbekistan match will start today, June 23, at 10:00 p.m. Tashkent time. The match will be officiated by Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed.