Asian Cup 2015: Uzbekistan face South Korea in quarter-finals, plan revenge for World Cup qualifying
UZBEKISTAN coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said his side will be driven by the failure to reach the 2014 World Cup ahead of their quarter-final with South Korea.
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UZBEKISTAN coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said his side will be driven by their failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup when it takes on South Korea in Thursday night’s quarter-final at AAMI Park.
After finishing level on points in Group B of qualifying, the South Koreans denied the Uzbeks a spot at what would have been their first World Cup by finishing ahead of them by just one goal on goal difference.
Uzbekistan then went on to lose a two-legged playoff to Jordan.
But having won through to an Asian Cup quarter-final with the Taeguk Warriors after defeating Saudi Arabia 3-1 on Sunday, Kasimov promised to avenge that 2013 disappointment.
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“We promise it and we want it,” Kasimov said.
“We always think about that, losing to Korea, and our players will do their best.”
Kasimov, Uzbek coach since 2012, said Sunday’s win over Saudi Arabia, also in Melbourne, was “one of the great victories of my career”.
“It was great because of our players, they put all their efforts into the performance. If we play like that in all games, we’ll be at a high level,” he said.
“I think it’s a big holiday in Uzbekistan now.”
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Left back Vitaliy Denisov played in the 2007 Asian Cup but missed the 2011 version in which the White Wolves made the semi-finals, but were then trounced 6-0 by the Socceroos.
Denisov said that loss also remained in the minds of many of the squad who remain here.
“When you’re playing the match you always want to win and all the time you want to be the best,” Denisov said.
“You’re always trying, in the future, to be better (than you were). I didn’t play the last Asian Cup, but I will do the best to go further this time.”
Denisov, who plays in Russia for Lokomotiv Moscow, said he had been impressed by Uzbekistan’s group stage campaign, despite the slip up against China in Brisbane last week.
“It’s football, all the players in the world, all the teams, make mistakes,” he said.
“That’s what happened in the China (game), I can’t explain it with my words, but I have the bad feelings, you know? In the second half we played bad and we feel sorry for that.
“But against Saudi we win, we qualified, and we feel good.”
Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Uzbekistan face South Korea in quarter-finals, plan revenge for World Cup qualifying
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