DUSHANBE, 01.10.2018 /NIAT “Khovar”/. The head coach of Tajikistan national junior team Zainiddin Rahimov at a press conference after defeating the DPRK team in the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Asian Championship admitted that he is proud of his wards who were able to win a berth to the Peru 2019 World Cup. It was reported by the press service of the Football Federation of Tajikistan.

Zainiddin Rahimov, Tajikistan head coach:

“First off all, I would like to congratulate my team for the victory. I received a congratulatory message from the Tajikistan President. The whole country is in a celebratory mood. We waited 10 years for this moment. I thank all the players, I really trust them and we have qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru. In the first half, our target was to score goals and we achieved it and in the second, we just wanted to keep the score but DPR Korea equalised. However, we got our second chance and beat them on penalties”.

Pak Jong Chol: DPR Korea head coach:

“Today’s match was very close and I’m a little disappointed. Our players were too tired to play their own style and missed several chances to score. We expected them (Tajikistan) to play that way, but my players are still young and I expected them to play in their own style. We will try to do our best to qualify for the next FIFA U-17 World Cup”.