On the eve of Uzbekistan’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup, I spoke with The Copa Club, a website for South American football, about what fans of Colombia can expect from their opponents in Group K. Both teams will also play against Portugal and DR Congo at this year’s tournament.
My quotes are a small part of the Copa Club preview for Colombia. The full Q&A — where I mention what it means for the people of Uzbekistan, why there’s more to Fabio Cannavaro’s squad than Abdukodir Khusanov, and a potential breakout star from the Uzbek league — is below:
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TCC: Talk me through Uzbekistan’s route to the World Cup in a few sentences, and what it means to the nation.
JC: In Asian qualifying Uzbekistan left UAE and Qatar in their wake to take an automatic World Cup place, finishing just behind Iran in a strong group. I was in Tashkent’s Milliy Stadium for their match against UAE, when the stands were rocking, and an unknown 20-year-old from RC Lens called Abdukodir Khusanov ran the game. It’s a genuinely exciting time for Uzbek sport: along with Khusanov, its judokas, boxers and chess players are also among the world’s best these days, and the country is hosting some big sports events later this year. A first ever Fifa World Cup is what most of the 36 million Uzbeks are talking and posting about though.
TCC: What are their strengths and weaknesses?
JC: Uzbekistan’s defence is very disciplined – across all of Asia only Japan conceded fewer goals in qualifying. Having Fabio Cannavaro as their manager for the tournament is going to make them even harder to beat, and Cannavaro has spoken himself about how tough the players are. I just worry about them creating chances at the other end: the Istanbul Başakşehir forward Abbosbek Fayzullaev is only just returning from a serious knee injury, and might not be fit enough to start this summer.
TCC: How will they set up and what nations do you think they have the capacity to beat – if any?
JC: Cannavaro played a 3-4-2-1 in their last few friendlies, including a win against Venezuela in March. Uzbekistan will be underdogs against Colombia and Portugal for sure, but if they can nick the first goal, who knows what group stage pressure will do? I don’t know if many neutrals will be setting an alarm for DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan in Atlanta, but if there’s a winner, they will probably make it to the next round.
TCC: Who’s their main player and who should nations be wary of in the US?
JC: Khusanov is the team’s outstanding player – but long before Pep Guardiola brought him to Manchester City, Jose Mourinho put another young Uzbek star straight into his team at Roma. Eldor Shomorodov already has 44 international goals, and will lead the attack as captain. Now a teammate of Fayzullaev’s at Başakşehir, he’s the second top scorer in the Turkish Süper Lig at the moment, so Davinson Sánchez certainly knows what he’s about. For a bolter from the local league, look out for Dostonbek Khamdamov, who’s scoring goals from midfield this season for Tashkent’s Pakhtakor.
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Jonathan Campion is a writer, journalist, editor and linguist, working in the Eurasia region. Read about his work here, and contact him here.
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