Uzbekistan were well deserving of their victory, which Kapadze felt was due to the team’s good preparations and their ability to maintain their composure in the intense glare of playing in the tournament’s opening game.

“The fact that Qatar lost 2-0 does not mean that they are a weak team,” the Bunyodkor midfielder told reporters after Friday’s tournament curtain raiser at the Khalifa Stadium.

“I think that we were prepared very well and we knew what to do against their players.

“But one of the key things about the match is that we played a calm game while Qatar were under a lot of pressure. That’s why they could not control the ball so they could not control the match.”

Kapadze was literally left wearing the scars of with the midfielder required five stitches on his right forehead after being caught by Sebastian Soria’s flailing elbow during an aerial challenge midway through the second half.

Kapadze, who scored two goals as Uzbekistan reached the quarter-finals at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, required lengthy treatment on the sidelines after the incident, leaving the Uzbeks down to 10 men for more than five minutes before the 29-year-old rejoined the action with a heavily bandaged head.