“Today, it was not easy to watch the game from the bench. A draw against Iran is a good result, and I congratulate the boys,” said Katanec. “I think we should have played more aggressively in the first half. But we improved our game in the second half. It's a very good result. The opportunities we missed were our own fault.”

Uzbekistan were down by two goals heading into the break following strikes from Ramin Rezaeian and Mehdi Taremi but Katanec always believed that his players were capable of changing the course of the game.

“I told them not to be afraid during the break. I explained that we need to move the ball faster. There is no point in holding the ball for too long. I’m satisfied with today's game. I was pleased with the players' approach to the match. The players showed character and overturned a two goal deficit to draw 2-2. 

“I want our players to have more practice in their clubs. If they play regularly at their clubs, we can increase our game by 20-30 percent. We have to work on our style and we can still improve our game.”

Uzbekistan take on Hong Kong next, while Iran meet Turkmenistan.