Having added the leaders of the Uzbekistan national team — Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullayev — to its ranks, Turkey’s “Istanbul Başakşehir” club continues its successful run in European competitions in the new season. The Istanbul side competed with Norway’s “Viking” in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Although “Başakşehir” had celebrated a 3–1 victory in the first match played a week earlier on the opponent’s field, in the return clash in Istanbul it encountered serious resistance — for strong pressing, tough duels, and controlling the game’s pace, enormous effort was required.
In the middle of the first half, the hosts’ defender Onur Bulut put the ball into his own net — the advantage collected by spoonfuls seemed to fall to the ground in an instant. However, “Başakşehir’s” reply did not take long: as an appropriate reaction to that pressure, in the 40th minute a splendid pass by Eldor Shomurodov was placed into the net by the German goal-getter Davy Selke. The assist approach — positional build-up from the back, correct sense of timing, and creating a comfortable angle for a teammate — reopened the picture of the game.
In the remaining minutes, the score in the match did not change, and “Başakşehir” obtained a ticket to the play-off round of the competition. The Istanbul club in the next round will compete to obtain a ticket to the group stage — this is one of the most important turning points in the calendar, once again testing squad depth and efficiency on set pieces.
After the match, the “Başakşehir” head coach spoke about the contest and brought clarity regarding Eldor Shomurodov’s play and the situation around Abbosbek Fayzullayev.
About the match:
“We are very pleased. This was a very difficult match. Everyone understands this well. We are happy to have passed one of the favorites. What we planned we were able to implement in the first half at an ideal level. We created several favorable chances. We played very efficiently. Our pressings worked well. With our attacks we created enough problems for the opponent, forced them to play with long passes. But we conceded a very painful goal. The only thing that did not satisfy me is that after the break we could not show our superiority in the game,” the coach emphasized. That is, the initial plan worked, however the second-half rhythm and the phase of breaking the resistance was noted as a point needing further strengthening.
About Shomurodov:
“Eldor Shomurodov turned out to be an even better player than we expected. He can play in all three positions of the attack. We truly wanted to see Eldor in our team. His capabilities turned out to be broader than we expected. Shomurodov’s ball-retention and passing ability are astonishing. In the attacking line we have three excellent players,” — with these thoughts he stressed that Eldor’s adaptation and versatility are a major resource in the team scheme.
About Fayzullayev:
“The issue regarding the transfer of Abbosbek Fayzullayev is currently on the agenda. We cannot bring this transfer to the end due to the embargo being applied against Russia. We are ready to make the payment for the transfer, however, for this we have to go through additional procedures. The president of our club is trying to find a solution to the issue through his contacts. Therefore, this issue will be resolved soon. Both we and Fayzullayev himself are waiting for this with anticipation. Very soon everything will end positively,” — thus the coach explained the situation. That means, with the completion of additional stages on document flow and financial channels, a new option will appear on the wing.
It should be noted that Eldor Shomurodov, taken on a one-season loan from “Roma” with the right to a full transfer later, has participated in four matches for “Istanbul Başakşehir,” recording one assist. As for Abbosbek Fayzullayev, despite moving to Turkey two weeks ago, he has not yet been permitted to participate in official matches — once the formalities are completed, he will also increase competition in the zone that needs support.
In conclusion, for “Başakşehir” the play-off stage is new pressure, new opportunity, and a new pass. The game intonation hinted at by Eldor Shomurodov’s assist, the expectation of positive news in the matter of Fayzullayev, and the team discipline of the guys — all of these will become key factors for opening the path to the group stage.
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