Neftchi Coach Islom Ismoilov: We Did Not Deserve to Lose

Neftchi coach Islom Ismoilov shared his thoughts after the team's loss to Pakhtakor, stating they did not deserve to lose and congratulated Pakhtakor on their win. "First of all, I apologize to our fans. We did not deserve to lose. At the same time, I congratulate the Pakhtakor team on their victory. The players did everything they could. This is football. One situation decided the outcome of the game. We will review the game again. There is no team that does not lose. We will analyze everything and prepare well for the next game."

Islom Ismoilov also spoke about Igor Sergeyev's potential transfer to Neftchi: "There is no clear information about this. The club's management will decide. For now, I do not have 100% clear information on this matter."

Neftchi coach added: "Until the goal was conceded, Neftchi did not have a second or third plan. Could the team have presented a more varied game, considering the result?"

Islom Ismoilov replied: "I would agree with your question. Because we had a second plan. We brought in two forwards and tried to play with more long passes. There were several opportunities, but we could not take advantage of them. We left one of our half-backs and one of our attacking midfielders on the field. Giyosov, Yovovich, Jumayev... These are all attacking players. We took a big risk. The players did everything they could."

Islom Ismoilov added: "When the opponent is defending deeply, more creative players are needed. Why was Jamshid Iskandarov replaced? Or is it related to his physical condition?"

Islom Ismoilov replied: "It's not related to his physical condition. Iskandarov is in good shape. If we were going to make a substitution, after Pakhtakor's counterattack, we decided to play with long passes. In this situation, we had to remove Iskandarov from the game to bring in a second forward. Because Yovovich was already on the field. If we had taken Jokichi off, we would have lost our entire left flank. Therefore, the only option was to remove Iskandarov and bring in a second forward."

Islom Ismoilov added: "Many are asking: Where was Ikrom Aliboev?"

Islom Ismoilov replied: "Aliboev was injured during the pre-game training. That's why he was not in the squad."

Islom Ismoilov added: "Are there any other injured players?"

Islom Ismoilov replied: "No, everyone else is fine."