Abbosbek: "During the warm-up, I felt like I was in a movie"

The press service of the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA) conducted an exclusive interview with a member of our national team and the author of a historic goal, Abbosbek Fayzullayev. During the interview, the talented midfielder spoke about how he overcame the nerves of his first match at the World Cup (FIFA World Cup 2026) and what inspired him on the pitch.

"Once the game starts, all the nerves disappear"

Abbosbek described the initial moments before stepping onto the pitch and his inner feelings as follows:

"To be honest, I wasn't myself for the first 10-15 minutes of the warm-up. Because... I can't describe the emotions, but it felt like I was in a movie. Then, after those 10-15 minutes, it passed."

"Once the game started, all the nerves disappeared. That's why there was no anxiety on the pitch after that. I was ready for the game. Because this is a match I have been looking forward to. If I didn't pull myself together, with millions of our people watching and my father in the stadium, I had to perform well; I was ready for it. As I said, after the first few minutes of the warm-up, everything went away."

3 key factors in Fayzullayev's ability to overcome nerves

Despite his young age, Abbosbek managed the immense pressure of a major tournament at a professional level. The following factors played a key role:

• Professional approach: The intense excitement that felt like "movie scenes" at the start of the warm-up lasted only 15 minutes. As soon as the referee's whistle blew, the player focused entirely on his task.

• The nation's trust: The gaze and hope of millions of Uzbek fans behind the screens gave the young player great strength along with a sense of responsibility.

• Family support (Father's presence at the stadium): For Abbosbek, who previously paid tribute to his father on his Instagram page, having his father support him directly at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico was the ultimate source of motivation.

The next big test: Match against Portugal

The historic debut match against Colombia (1:3) is behind us. Now, the Uzbekistan national team faces one of the toughest opponents in Group C:

• Match: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (FIFA World Cup 2026, Matchday 2)

• Date: Tuesday, June 23

After the goal scored against Colombia, all our fans expect a meaningful and courageous performance from Abbosbek Fayzullayev and our entire national team in the match on June 23. We wish our representatives great success in the upcoming game!