MEXICO CITY, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan manager Fabio Cannavaro heaped praise on his players after a 3-1 loss to Colombia in its World Cup debut on Wednesday.
Daniel Munoz gave Colombia a first-half lead, but Abbosbek Fayzullaev put Uzbekistan on level terms and the Asian team had several chances to score again in the second half.
Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz eventually settled Colombia's nerves as the South American side rose to the top of Group K and Uzbekistan fell to last in the group.
"I told them I am very proud of the match they played," Cannavaro told a post-match news conference. "I told them I really liked what I saw. It was not easy, we were playing in Mexico, but it felt like playing in Colombia with all the Colombian fans here."
Uzbekistan, which is the first Central Asian country to qualify for the World Cup, will forever cherish the chance to play at Mexico City Stadium, Cannavaro said.
"Playing here is something wonderful. It is something you will remember for the rest of your life," said Cannavaro, who won the World Cup as a player with Italy in 2006. "It is the first time my players have played in this stadium, and they will remember it forever."
Cannavaro said the loss to Colombia would provide a valuable opportunity for his team to learn and grow.
"When a small team like ours works as hard as it did today, it is clear that losing 3-1 is too much," Cannavaro said.
"We have to improve. I always tell them to stay in the game," Cannavaro said. "It is not easy to play against a team like Colombia or Portugal."
"Today the team understood when we had to suffer, when we had to control the ball, when we had to switch play from one side to the other. I think the second half was very good. But at this level, when you make mistakes, you pay dearly for them."
Uzbekistan's next match is against Portugal in Houston next Tuesday. ■
