Uzbekistan secure confident 2–0 win over Kuwait in Tashkent

The goals came from team captain Eldor Shomurodov and midfielder Hojimat Erkinov, giving Uzbekistan a deserved victory in Cannavaro’s first game in charge. The scoreline could have been even larger, but Otabek Shukurov failed to convert a penalty in the second half.

This match was Uzbekistan’s first under the guidance of Cannavaro, the 2006 World Cup-winning Italian defender, who was appointed to lead the national team earlier this year. Following the game, the coach expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance but noted that there is still much work to do.

“As I said before, no match is ever easy. Every opponent must be taken seriously. We started well, and the ideas we worked on during training paid off,” Cannavaro said at the post-match press conference. “I’m glad the players are listening and responding. Still, there are areas we must improve. Starting with a win was important, and now I have a clearer picture of the team.”

The coach also addressed the missed penalty by Otabek Shukurov, which continued Uzbekistan’s recent struggles from the spot – in the CAFA Nations Cup final, Shomurodov had also missed a penalty against Iran.

“Penalties depend on how players feel in the moment. We’ll keep working on it. In football, everything can be improved through training,” Cannavaro said. “Fayzullaev’s condition is fine; we’ve discussed it with the doctors.”

He emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and ball control, especially when leading.

“When you’re winning, you must emphasize control. At 2–0, we lost the ball unnecessarily – the key is not giving the opponent chances. Still, the players executed what I asked of them,” he noted. “We must work on ball possession. It’s impossible to just run for 90 minutes; understanding each other on the field is essential.”

Cannavaro added that he intends to build better communication with players even outside training camps, using video analysis and individual feedback.

Uzbekistan will continue its training camp with another friendly match against Uruguay, scheduled for October 13 in Malaysia.