Whole team's victory, but special praise to Sergeev, said Uzbekistan coach

Goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov's lightning late save spared Uzbekistan's blushes as the 2011 semifinalists beat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1-0 in a rain-hit Asian Cup clash on Saturday.

Nesterov saw little action in the Group B tie but he was alert enough to palm away Pak Song-Chol's powerful header just before the final whistle.

"I'd like to thank our goalkeeper, it was a great save," said Uzbek coach Mirdjalal Kasimov. "But it was a victory of the whole team, I'm happy with all my players."

Man-of-the-match Igor Sergeev's 62nd-minute header was the only goal of the game, but Uzbekistan deserved their win in Sydney.

"It is enjoyable to score in this type of game but it doesn't matter who scores, the main thing is the team won and we are very happy with it," the 21-year-old said. "I'd like to thank all my teammates for fighting to the end of the game."

Sergeev has already scored five goals for Uzbekistan in just nine appearances and Kasimov had special praise for him.

"I think he has a great future in club football and the national team but he should not stop at this level, he should always have more, I think he can do it and he can be one of the best in Uzbekistan," Kasimov said.

Uzbekistan has high hopes of reaching the knock-outs for the fourth time in a row, with further Group B games to come against China and Saudi Arabia. Endi