The first match of the group stage of the Asian U-23 Cup took place on January 6 in Jeddah and ended with a 1:0 victory for the host team.
In the 77th minute of the match, referee Fu Ming from China awarded a penalty against the Kyrgyz team, but Nurlanbekov managed to stop the shot from the 11-meter mark.
“The team showed an excellent result. Kurmanbek is one of our key players, and he knows it. His penalty save brought joy to all the guys. This is a clear indication of team spirit. It’s nice to see such things! Kurmanbek is a real hero!” Lacerda noted at the post-match press conference.
