AFC U17 Asian Cup
Khasanov and his compatriots had to dig deep after going down to nine men but the forward scored a wonder goal in the 69th minute to cap an incredible tournament for the entire Uzbekistan team.
#AFCU17 | Final: Uzbekistan 2-0 Saudi Arabia
“After going down to nine men, our coach motivated us and we went out for the second half to play for our country, teammates and coach,” said Khasanov.
“I was thinking that if I was able to score, I would celebrate with the coach. The team spirit was incredible today and never once did we let anything affect us.”
Uzbekistan’s performance in the final highlighted their determination to succeed, capping a wonderful run that started with their opening Group A match against Thailand.
In winning Sunday’s final, the Central Asian side became the first team since Islamic Republic of Iran in 2008 to win all their matches.
The 17-year-old, who was also named the Most Valuable Player for his industrious display throughout the tournament, said the triumph was the beginning of more to come.
“We will have a lot of emotions about the tournament but we are not looking at this as a final but as a start for our career and we will continue to work hard everyday.”
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