Zabikhillo Urinboev and Uzbekistan brace for China test

Captain Zabikhillo Urinboev believes Uzbekistan can rectify their poor start to the AFC U23 Championship 2018 when they face China PR in the second round of Group A matches at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre on Friday.

The 22-year-old Pakhtakor striker was a star performer for his country during Tuesday’s narrow 1-0 loss to Qatar, a result that, combined with China’s 3-0 win over Oman, leaves the Central Asians currently occupying third place in Group A and needing a positive result against the host nation to realistically have any chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.

“After the first matchday results, it is fair to say that we are in a difficult situation,” Uriboev told the-AFC.com.

“We are busy preparing for the match against China because they are undoubtedly a strong opponent. Nevertheless, we will, of course, try to improve the current situation in the next game.”

Source: the-AFC.com