Sabah's Uzbek midfielder Umarali Rakhmonaliev gave an interview to Sportal.az.
– You recently played against Zira. How did that match go for you?
– We played well against Zira. We really played football because we know how to play. In the first half, we dictated the game, controlling possession. However, the second half didn’t go as planned, but that’s part of football. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Zira didn’t even have a real goal-scoring chance. Their goal came from a deflection off our player. In the second half, we defended compactly and created chances but couldn’t convert them. We even scored, but it was ruled offside.
– Was 1:1 a fair result?
– I think we could have won. But if it was meant to end 1:1, we can’t change that. We have dropped too many points in matches we should have won.
– What do you think is the reason for the inconsistency?
– I wouldn’t call it inconsistency. We play well against every opponent but sometimes fail to convert our chances. At the same time, we concede too easily. The same thing happened against Shamakhi, Kapaz, and Araz-Nakhchivan —they scored from almost every chance. Against Zira, we conceded too easily again. We struggle to score but concede too easily. We need to be more solid and confident in this aspect. If we improve here, we will get better results.
– The easiest path to European competitions is through the National Cup. Your semifinal opponent, Neftchi, also sees the cup as a priority. Can this matchup be considered an early final? Do you believe you can secure a European spot?
– Every match is crucial for us, every game is like a final. The National Cup is no exception. Of course, the semifinals against Neftchi won’t be easy. We will do our best in both the cup and the league. With Allah's help, we will achieve our goals.
– You’ve been a regular starter for Sabah. Were you expecting a call-up to the Uzbekistan national team?
– If I haven’t been called up, it means I need to work harder. And I will. God willing, everything is ahead of me. Things will only get better.
Idman.biz
