Today we will talk about football. Recently, there have been many updates in Uzbek football. Our national team played one of its best matches in the qualifying stage, drawing in Tehran. In a historic event for two centuries of Uzbek football, Abduqodir Husanov, who transferred to "Manchester City," made his debut in the Uzbekistan national team jersey for the first time after moving to the world's top league. We will discuss these two situations.
Tehran is no longer scary
In our youth, we loved reading Mushfiq Kozimiy's novel "Scary Tehran." The political meaning of the novel's plot is another matter. The novel is written with great artistry, and while reading it, you involuntarily feel as if you are wandering through the streets of Tehran, in its countless boulevards. Since the work is popular among Uzbek readers, it has become customary to title articles about future football matches in Iran involving Uzbekistan with its name.
Moreover, having 100,000 people watching the games at the "Ozodiy" stadium makes Tehran intimidating for any opponent.
However, under the coaching of Temur Kapadze, the Uzbekistan national team turned "Ozodiy" into a scary ground for Iran on March 25. It really happened that way. The Asian giant Iran played in a constantly chasing position at home. On that day, Temur Kapadze showed that he is a strong coach, and the players on the field demonstrated that the level of Uzbek football is indeed high. Everyone played excellently in Tehran. O'tkir Yusupov, who plays in the Iranian championship, saved several goals, Abbos Fayzullayev proved once again that he has reached a strong five-level, and Farrux Sayfiyev, who was almost about to retire, assisted in a crucial goal. I especially liked Eldor Shomurodov's game. Our captain has been creating situations by dropping back in recent matches, and he made an important pass for the first goal in Tehran.
In short, Uzbekistan played an excellent game in Tehran, securing an important point, and the chances of qualifying for the World Cup have sharply increased. Now even a single draw will take Uzbekistan to the World Cup. Meanwhile, the next two opponents are not stronger than Uzbekistan. Therefore, the likelihood of securing a spot is very high.
By the way, at this point, a few thoughts about the Iran national team. The draw on March 25 took the Persians to the World Cup. They became the sixth team to officially qualify for the World Cup. Iran managed to record the necessary result even in a game that went poorly for them against Uzbekistan. True top teams achieve the necessary results even in games where their performance is lacking and the opponent is clearly strong. Mehdi Torimi, who scored two goals against us, became a hero even while sitting on the bench at "Inter," as he was not in great physical condition due to injury. In this regard, one cannot help but admire Iran.
About Abduqodir Husanov
In the network, the main star of Uzbek football, Abduqodir Husanov, has become a topic of discussion. It is said that he could not participate in training due to being invited to various events and thus played poorly against Iran. I do not think these statements are correct. Apparently, people who are not very interested in football are saying he played poorly when everyone is talking about Husanov; at least that’s how it seems to me. Perhaps these fans think that since Husanov plays for "Manchester City," he should score 2-3 goals in every game in Asia.
I think many have paid attention to the ratings given to players by various portals after the game. In that, Husanov received a slightly lower rating than others. But that does not mean our defender played poorly. It just seems that on that day, other defenders Umar Eshmurodov and Rustam Ashurmatov had good games, and these two players participated more in the episodes, which made Husanov seem a bit overshadowed. However, Abduqodir did not make any gross mistakes during the game.
At this point, we should not forget that Umar Eshmurodov and Rustam Ashurmatov are also strong defenders. With such partners, Husanov does not always need to be a hero.
Now, let’s touch on the fact that Abduqodir is being invited to various events, journalists are asking him strange questions, and many are trying to make videos with this player. Friends, all of this should be understood correctly; after all, we have never had such a mega star. Naturally, everyone wants to approach him, to film him, to get his autograph, and to say, "I met Husanov." We are not England, where star players emerge at every turn.
And Abduqodir Husanov is not a player who will lose his sports form after participating in 3-4 events. Players at this level keep track of everything. It’s better to rejoice that we have such a top player and enjoy his games. Prepare your bags, gather money for tickets; we are about to go to the American World Cup. Let’s secure the necessary results in the next two games and be the first to see the "statue on the ship," as mentioned in the movie "About 1900."
Prepared by O'tkir Jalolxonov.
