Uzbekistan club celebrates AFC Cup win

Nasaf Qarshi coach Anatoliy Demyanenko says his side’s 2-1 AFC Cup final triumph over Kuwait SC on Saturday will boost football in Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek outfit triumphed in Saturday’s final in Qarshi thanks to goals from Ilkhom Shomurodov and Andrejs Pereplotkins, before Kuwait’s Boris Kabi netted to ensure a tense finale.

The victory was the first by an Uzbekistan team in the AFC Cup which has previously been dominated by west Asian clubs.

“This is a great achievement of Uzbekistan football. I am proud of this,” Demyanenko told reporters after the win.”

“We fully deserved the win tonight. The AFC Cup is very important for me. Anyway, winning such trophies is always important.”

“After we had conceded the goal, I was a little bit afraid but finally we won the match and the trophy.”

“I hope I will continue to work and I will help Uzbek football to improve. I cannot point out only one player who was the best. All of them were the best.”

Midfielder Artur Gevorkyan was named the AFC Cup MVP after the match but he insisted it was a team effort to lift the trophy.

“I am very happy to be the MVP of such a great tournament but the most important thing for me is team success,” Gevorkyan told reporters.

“I have experience in the AFC Champions League but I do not think the AFC Cup is a second tier competition. I think it is on the same level. Therefore, for me it is a great honour to be MVP of the tournament.”