Tajikistan ready to face China with ‘big heart’

Petar Segrt’s Tajikistan are relishing their moment under the spotlight as they prepare to make their AFC Asian Cup debut against China in the second game of Group A at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium today. The central Asian nation are the only debutants in Qatar, having booked their place by topping a qualifiers group that included Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Myanmar. “We are a small country compared to China, we don’t have a lot of people, but we have a big heart and we know how to fix problems” said Segrt.
“Football is not only a sport of winning and losing, we also have to show respect to each other. I have to compliment the AFC and the organisers for everything. We are happy to be here, and it will be an honour for Tajikistan to play at the AFC Asian Cup.”
The Croatian coach took charge of Tajikistan in January 2022, leading them to qualifying to their first-ever major tournament, crowning a decade-long career in Asian football which saw him manage in Indonesia, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. On the eve of making his first appearance in Asia’s top competition, he reflected on the journey and the progress of Asian and Tajik football.
“Asian football has developed a lot and we saw that at the last (FIFA) World Cup. It is coming closer to European football. It is our first time here, which is an honour and a big step for Tajik football, and we know the group is very difficult, we have to respect everybody but believe me they have to respect us too. We want to get results.”
The daunting task of facing China PR has been made more complicated by the absences of key players from the Tajik squad, but Segrt is determined to find a way through the challenges.
“Yesterday, we lost our key centre-back Amirbek Juraboev and we had lost one of our best players, Manuchehr Dzhalilov who is battling cancer, but we are a country that finds solutions and we will try to find solutions here too.”
Sitting on the opposite dugout will be Serbian coach Aleksandar Jankovic who is approaching the one-year-mark as China boss, having spent the previous four years in charge of various age group national teams in the East Asian country.
The 51-year-old is looking to create a stable environment within the squad to help Team Dragon improve on their quarter-final finish in the UAE four years earlier, but he remained coy on his objectives for the 2023 edition.
“We are all excited and motivated to represent China in the best possible way,” said Jankovic. “We have been waiting for this tournament for a very long time. After one month of preparation, we arrive to Doha with the highest level of excitement and motivation.”
Last time out, China faced another debutant from central Asia in their AFC Asian Cup opener, and the 2-1 win over Kyrgyzstan in Al Ain paved the way for them to advance to the knockout stage with a game to spare, but Jankovic insists a steady and stable approach is what they need to advance once more.
“In every group stage, stability is key because if you win the first game, you are not qualified and if you lose it, you are not eliminated. That’s why stability is the key word. It is also important not to have too many ups and downs in terms of emotion, to get the job done then turn the page and focus on the next game.
“There is no country that participates in this tournament that would be happy to go home after the group stage, and there is no coach who would give you an answer other than that we are focused on the first game. We will focus on winning, on playing well and then we can think about the second game. For me as a coach I see nothing but Tajikistan tomorrow.”