Uzbekistan’s long awaited first ever FIFA World Cup appearance ultimately ended in defeat, losing 3-1 to Colombia in the glorious surroundings of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Defeat on paper only tells part of the story, however, a story that had its moments; a first ever World Cup goal, a tactical approach that very nearly provided immediate results, and a heavy dose of reality of the step up in standard.
Expectations heading in a debut World Cup were modest; after over 30 years of developing, and countless missed opportunities over the last decade, the very fact Uzbekistan were lining up in North America is success in its own right. But having demonstrated their potential on the run up to the tournament, in their narrow defeat to the Netherlands, there were growing hopes that this didn’t necessarily need to be all one-way traffic.
Taking on the learnings from the Dutch assignment, Fabio Cannavaro’s men set up in predictable fashion, a broadly defensive 5-4-1 formation, with a hope to introduce attacking ambition as the match progressed. And with that in mind, the Italian coach’s masterplan was very nearly delivered; the first half was pragmatic, cautious but for large parts comfortable, while the second period allowed for more progression, more control and threat.
The result instead came off the back of key moments, of quality and error, that ultimately defined the eventual outcome.
Daniel Munoz’s opener midway through the first period was a reality check to the system. A well worked delivery from deep, intelligent movement from the full back, followed by an expertly taken finish, it was a bolt from the blue, that hit like a hammer, and underlined the step up in quality represented by the World Cup.
Despite that, Uzbekistan were able to hold Colombia to brief isolated moments, kept in check and in control, even if they offered next to nothing on the counter.
The half-time changes, bringing in more experience on the left flank in Farrukh Sayfiev, and creativity in Dostonbek Khamdamov, settled the team down, and helped the next phase of play as the White Wolves finally probed the attacking third.
And it delivered, forcing an equaliser, when the aforementioned Sayfiev’s cross was expertly stuck by talisman Eldor Shomurodov, a peripheral figure to this point, with the ball eventually being headed into an empty net by Abbosbek Fayzullaev for Uzbekistan’s historic first goal at this level of competition.
As a moment in time, it will live long in the memory of all Uzbek fans, and symbolically involved all key components on their journey to date. Sayfiev, the vastly experienced symbol of the old guard of Uzbek football, seeing his cross struck by the clearest representation of Uzbek contemporary success in Shomurodov. The fact it was Fayzullaev, the embodiment of the hope and technical future of Uzbekistan, pitched a perfect moment, that encapsulated the long qualification journey and the promising future that lies ahead.
Any celebrations were cut short, however, once again by a brief moment, this time an error of their own making. Colombia forced one of their few turnovers in the match; Otabek Shukurov, currently struggling in terms of form, ultimately crumbled under pressure, but it was the meagre attempted save from Utkir Yusupov that will linger in the minds of many, as Luis Diaz spun away in celebration.
The inclusion of Yusupov, as with the selection of the three defenders in front of him was a pragmatic choice, even if Cannavaro made some more bold, exciting calls further up the field. His experience, and ability in the air is undoubted, but his career trajectory is seeing him transition past his peak, something that has been all too noticeable since his return to Navbahor in Uzbekistan at the start of the year.
Abduvohid Nematov is seen as the future of the national team, but his current inexperience, and tendency for the odd wobble, underlined the coach’s initial selection. However, Yusupov’s weak handling for the goal may well have left a door open for a change later in the tournament.
But for the late third goal, which was a combination of last-minute tactical disarray as Uzbekistan went in search of an equaliser, alongside some questionable defending by substitute Jakhongir Urozov, the game played out as it was intended, if without the final blow Cannavaro was looking for.
Bekhuz Karimov, the undoubted star of the night, making his competitive debut in senior colours, could well have turned the tide with his sensational hit that crashed off the bar, but alas the equaliser did not come.
In essence, the match played out as expected, with key moments of quality (and a lack of it) hampering Uzbekistan’s progress. There were significant positives: the undoubted confidence and defensive shape was impressive, quickly addressing any concerns over first night nerves, as we experienced in Qatar’s debut in 2022, while the likes of Karimov and Fayzullaev truly lived up to their billing, as two of the key young players expected to make a positive move further into Europe following this World Cup.
There are issues to tidy up of course. Uzbekistan’s central midfield has gone from a key strength a year ago, to a real concern, with Shukurov’s form, alongside the injury to Odil Hamrobekov exposing their lack of depth. While Akmal Mozgovoy turned the ball over well at times, his lack of impact at both ends of the pitch in a match where Uzbekistan were always going to struggle to demand large spells of possession, reduced his involvement.
In attack, the front three were expected to only feed off scraps, but when given the opportunity to create them, set plays were severely lacking. The role of Aziz Ganiev, particularly in the March’s FIFA Series, promoted his delivery as a key weapon in what is a tactical approach that necessitates moments over flow.
While his overall contribution won’t necessarily be called for by some, especially if he comes in for the more aesthetically pleasing Fayzullaev, his impact from dead ball situations was clearly missed.
While a debut defeat leaves a taste of frustration and regret, the factors are explainable, and overall the much-feared gulf in class between the teams rarely materialised.
With Portugal and DR Congo ahead, there is capacity to accrue points over the coming weeks, and perhaps even progression from this group stage. But for now history has been made. Uzbekistan are on the world stage, and have showed everyone watching across the globe why they deserve to stay here.
