The clash between “Istanbul Basaksehir” and “Viking” from the qualifying stage of the Conference League ended in a 1:1 draw. This result, while maintaining the balance between the away and home stages, further heated up the contest: in a short time the return match, tactical adjustments and structural changes are certain to come to the fore.
In this encounter the team’s coach fielded Eldor Shomurodov in the starting lineup. Our compatriot was taken off to the bench after 83 minutes of activity. Up to that moment he took part in duels on the high line, moved into the spaces left behind by the opponent’s defense, dropped back when receiving the ball and took part in the beginnings of combinations. Several times he shifted to the flank, opened up for passes, in the 40th minute delivered an assist for the goal scored by his team, and in pressing worked actively in the first layer. The actions he performed during this time were evaluated differently by several well-known portals — this shows how much the interpretation of tasks and role in the game can differ.
“Fotmob” deemed our representative worthy of 6.9 points, while the “Sofascore” portal gave Shomurodov 6.9 points. Thus, the two sources almost equally assessed Eldor’s work efficiency, positional discipline, and correct movements in off-ball space. In addition, another well-known outlet, the “Flashscore” site, gave our compatriot 6.6 points. This means that in cases where there are no clear statistical indicators like a goal/assist, the evaluation may come out lower: such “less noticeable” works as spreading the field geometry, drawing the opponent out, and triggering pressing cues sometimes are not fully reflected in the rating.
It should also be emphasized that during 83 minutes Eldor several times produced actions that led to dangerous incidents around the penalty area: arriving late to the far post, making the first step to low crosses, and shielding the ball with his body in a one-on-one with the opponent’s defender — such elements matched the team style. Of course, under draw conditions a single tiny detail — the accuracy of the final pass or the timing — could have swung the result to the other side.
We remind that the Turkish club will play its next match on August 17 against “Kayserispor.” Therefore, in the preparation plan, recovery, buildup-with-the-ball scenarios in the microcycle, and work on set-piece situations are expected to be placed in the first rank. For Shomurodov, the signals obtained from this game — to further speed up positional movement and to make the decisive decision faster in the final phase — will be important conclusions before the next clash.
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