According to Mehr reporter, Saeed Ezatollahi said in a press conference before the meeting with the Uzbekistan national football team in the preliminary stage of the 2026 World Cup: First of all, I wish health to the head coach of the Iranian national team, Amir Qalanavi, due to his boredom, his presence in the Beside us will strengthen the hearts of the players. The first game is always a tough match for the players and thank God we were able to beat Hong Kong.
He continued: Tomorrow we will have a tough game against the respectable Uzbekistan team and I hope the audience will witness an interesting match. We will face Uzbekistan tomorrow with all our strength and to defend the name of Iran.
Ezzatullahi said about being a teammate with “Shah Muradov”, the captain of the Uzbekistan national team, in Rostov, Russia: First of all, I am very happy about Shah Muradov’s progress and I congratulate him. From the time we were together in Rostov until today, he has developed very well in terms of football and he is currently one of the best football players in Uzbekistan and Asia. Shah Muradov has a very good character and I have a close relationship with him.
The midfielder of the Iranian national football team added: “One of the strengths of the Uzbekistan team is the presence of Shah Muradov in this team, but we should not forget that we are the Iranian national team and we have analyzed all the matches of the Uzbekistan national team, and the technical staff will definitely give their opinions to the players. and by God’s hope, we can implement all the tactical orders of the technical staff on the field and win the game.
Ezzatullahi pointed out: In the last few years, we have won most of the matches against Uzbekistan, but there is no reason to underestimate them now, and they are always respected by us. Sepahan, who was able to beat Almaliq with a result of 9-0, is one of the best in Asia, and the people of Uzbekistan should not be upset about this. We have always admired the national team and the players of Uzbekistan because they have always been improving and now some of their players are playing in European leagues.
In the end, he pointed out: Iran’s national team has great players who have been able to play in the best European teams in recent years, and their experience and quality on the field can definitely determine the final result for us.