"I want to thank the players and the fans, the boys played until the last minute. We had chances to score the winning goal, but we could also have conceded, so I am pleased with the result," said Kasimov.

"We had prepared well for the Korean style of play and we were able to keep the ball successfully in the first half. But Korea are a strong team, and after they equalised, the game changed.

"But overall, I am happy with the result as all the players tried their best to win."

"Uzbekistan played better than I thought they would. They scored early and had the advantage. I hope that we will play better in the upcoming matches, but I am satisfied with the result," said Korea coach Choi Kang-hee.

"Both teams played well, although we lost control of the ball to our opponents in the beginning of the game and only began to play our game when our midfielders started to keep the ball.

"We were able to change the game in the second half, but the Uzbekistan midfielders played well, while my midfielders had some problems."