Cannavaro takes responsibility for Uzbekistan's heavy World Cup defeat

Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro has taken full responsibility for his team's heavy 5-0 defeat against Portugal in the World Cup Group K match. Despite the significant loss, Cannavaro insisted that the team is developing on the international stage and will benefit from the challenging experience in Houston.

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They tried everything, they tried their best, I am very proud. We have to keep believing until we mathematically cannot go through.

Uzbekistan now stands on the brink of elimination from their debut World Cup campaign. Following an earlier 3-1 loss to Colombia, they face a must-win scenario in their final group fixture against the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday to keep their hopes of reaching the round of 32 alive.

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All my life I have taken responsibility, as a player and as a coach. If we lost 5-0, it is because today I made mistakes, and not them (the players).

Cannavaro, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, stated his pride in his players' efforts. "They tried everything, they tried their best, I am very proud," he told reporters. "We have to keep believing until we mathematically cannot go through." He stressed that any blame for the 5-0 scoreline rests with him, not his players. "All my life I have taken responsibility, as a player and as a coach. If we lost 5-0, it is because today I made mistakes, and not them (the players)," Cannavaro said.

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This is our first time at the World Cup. I told the players that they can misplace a pass and make mistakes. Because I must give them the confidence to try and improve.

The coach emphasized the importance of confidence and courage for his young team, who are competing in their first World Cup. "This is our first time at the World Cup. I told the players that they can misplace a pass and make mistakes. Because I must give them the confidence to try and improve." He noted that a disallowed goal for Uzbekistan when the score was 2-0 had a significant impact on the team's morale. "The goal that was disallowed really had an impact on our confidence," he admitted. "It was a shame because we started playing just as we did against Colombia, we were playing boldly."

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The goal that was disallowed really had an impact on our confidence. It was a shame because we started playing just as we did against Colombia, we were playing boldly.