چاپ خبر

Drawn in Group A, the Central Asian side will face Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and DPR Korea in their debut at this stage of the AFC Asian Qualifiers.
Despite the challenging road ahead, Lisitsyn -, who recently succeeded Stefan Tarkovic – was optimistic about the draw and hoped his wealth of experience from managing domestic clubs like Dordoi Bishkek and Ilbirs Bishkek, as well as leading the nation’s youth teams, will help the squad.

“The draw results were not too favourable for us, but at this level, there are no easy opponents. But I am hopeful that my presence will positively influence the team, as we are all eager to continue scripting history for Kyrgyz football,” said the Russian.

The 46-year-old is hopeful that the time available, coupled with his extensive knowledge of football in the region, will prove beneficial for the team’s preparation as they get ready to kick off their third round campaign against Iran on September 5.

“We have a couple of months to prepare, and we will do our best to ensure that the team is at their optimal best by the time we play our first match.”

Kyrgyz Republic began the second round of qualifying on a shaky note with a 4-3 defeat against Malaysia in Group D. However, they found their winning way against Oman and then secured back-to-back victories over Chinese Taipei. The Central Asians finished Round 2 with two draws in their remaining ties against Oman and Malaysia, securing second place in the group.

“There will be some changes to the side that played in the previous round, now that we are facing even tougher teams. But in football one always has to look for ways to progress, and we’re dedicated to producing the best team to embark on this journey.

“Moreover, Kyrgyz fans are among the best in the world and we will do everything to continue keeping this fairytale alive and give more happy moments to them,” he added.