I saw many positives in my team in the first half – Cannavaro

Uzbekistan lost 0-2 to Canada in a friendly match held today, June 2, in Edmonton, Canada. After the match, Uzbekistan head coach Fabio Cannavaro shared his thoughts on the game.

“There are always mistakes in any match. It is better to make mistakes in friendly games like this than in matches 10 days later. That is football. In the first half, our team played compactly and aggressively. In the second half, we wanted to have more control of the ball, but we lost intensity and made several mistakes,” Cannavaro said.

Cannavaro also noted that he had expected the players to maintain the same intensity they showed in the first half, adding that since joining the national team, he has been working on playing at a higher tempo.

“I know very well the difference between Asian football and international football. It is not easy, but I saw many positives in my team in the first half. I have been following the Canadian national team for a long time. I have many friends there. Over the past three or four years, the team has grown significantly. Football has become very popular in Canada,” the Uzbekistan head coach said.

Fabio Cannavaro also provided an update on the players who were injured during the match, including Aziz Ganiyev.

“When you play at high speed, injuries can happen. For now, there is nothing serious. We will see tomorrow and the day after. I think the biggest problem for everyone today was the cold weather. Nevertheless, many fans came to the stadium. It was very nice for us to play with such support. When you have the opportunity to play in a stadium like this, you need to enjoy it and appreciate it. We must thank the fans who came to support us. It was not easy to come to the stadium in this cold weather today,” he said.

Cannavaro also described Uzbekistan’s group-stage opponents, Portugal, Colombia and Congo, as very strong teams. He said it would be very difficult to play against them.