Foreign reactions to "noisy tidbits" about Khusanov and Uzbekistan

The fact that the Uzbekistan national team is close to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and Abdukоdir Khusanov is playing for the current champion Manchester City in the most difficult league in the world, remains one of the most discussed topics.

The opinions of Ali Aliyev, the head coach of the Kazakhstan national team, about Uzbek football are attracting the attention of the football community and causing various reactions.

This time, the Russian scout and journalist Nikolai Egorichev, who knows Uzbek football closely, responded to the claims of the Kazakh expert.

- The new coach of the Kazakhstan national team is a very interesting person. Ali Aliyev throws stones at Uzbekistan in any situation that comes his way. Here are some of his "bites".

"Dastan Satpayev is stronger than Abdukоdir Khusanov";

"Nobody knew Khusanov when he was 16. But we sold 16-year-old Satpayev to Chelsea";

"If we play in Asia, we will qualify for the World Cup. I have never seen the Uzbek national team play against the Japanese and Koreans in the group."

I have a good attitude towards Kazakhstan as a country, and the same applies to football. I have colleagues in Kazakhstan with whom I have good connections. However, Aliyev's words seem like an attempt to distract public attention from his own problems.

You can't go far with Satpayev alone. This guy has only played six games in senior football. Can you compare him with Khusanov? Absolutely not.

Regarding Japan and South Korea, I will say that Uzbekistan has not played with them for a long time. However, they have played against Iran (2:2, twice 0:0), Australia (1:1), and Mexico (3:3). These teams regularly participate in world championships.

The Kazakh national team needs to recover, not to make such claims. The victory over Liechtenstein is not a problem. However, the team recently lost to Luxembourg, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

It has always been easier said than done, - Nikolay Egorichev wrote on his Telegram channel.

It should be recalled that during the years of independence, the national teams of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have met seven times. Their first meeting was in 1992, and the Kazakh players won 1:0.

Of the last six matches, three were draws and three were won by Uzbekistan. The results were as follows:

1992. Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan 1:1.
1994. Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan 1:0.
1997. Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan 1:1.
1997. Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan 4:0.
2007. Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan 1:1.
2022. Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan 2:0. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”