Soccer-Uzbekistan's Sergeev ready to take over mantle from Djeparov

By Colin Packham SYDNEY, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan have, for many years, relied upon attacking midfielder Server Djeparov but after Saturday's victory over North Korea in the Asian Cup, the Central Asian team may have found its future talisman in striker Igor Sergeev. Djeparov, 32, was again at the heart of all the creativity displayed by Uzbekistan in their group B opener even though the Central Asian team struggled to capitalise on their territorial advantage. A frustrating night again looked on the cards, with North Korea - the tournament's lowest ranked team - looking comfortable until half time. The deadlock was eventually broken by man of the match Sergeev, who at 21 was the youngest player to start for Uzbekistan and is highly regarded at home - not least by national coach Mirdjalal Kasimov. "I think he could become one of the best players in Uzbekistan," said Kasimov. Sergeev has long been heralded as the next big thing from Uzbekistan, having burst on to the international scene in 2012 at the 2012 AFC Under 19 championship, Asia's prominent youth tournament. Sergeev's seven goals took Uzbekistan to the semi-final of the tournament, and he has now shown signs of taking that goal-scoring form to the next level. Boasting a scoring record of more than one goal in every two international appearances, Sergeev is the focal point of the Uzbekistan attack. With Uzbekistan's limited striking choices, Sergeev's performance may dictate whether the team can repeat the success of the 2011 Asian Cup when the Central Asian reached the semi-finals. "If we score many goals and the luck is on our side (we can repeat the 2011 exploits)," said Kasimov. Uzbekistan next play China on Wednesday in Brisbane, though the Uzbekistan coach acknowledged the need for improvement against a team 25 places below the Central Asians in the FIFA rankings. "China has seen big process in recent years, and they are a strong team." (Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)