Tajikistan defeated Iran 3-1 in an engrossing Group D match to make the quarter-finals of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2025.
“This is an amazing feeling as we achieved our goal of qualifying for the World Cup,” he said. “We played very well against Iran, closed all parts of the pitch and won the match tactically.”
“Their goalkeeper (Abolfazl Khalilian) was brilliant and kept his team in the match until the last five minutes. I congratulate them because they are a very good team with a very good coach,” the Italian added.