Two Historic Records for Fayzullayev and a "Joke" from a Former Teammate

The Uzbekistan national team's first-round match against Colombia in the 2026 World Cup opened a new chapter in the history of Uzbek football. 22-year-old attacking midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullayev is being recognized as one of the main protagonists of this historic encounter.

After scoring against the opponent, Fayzullayev achieved two massive milestones at once and etched his name into history.

Firstly, Abbosbek Fayzullayev became the first Uzbek footballer to successfully score a goal in the final stages of a World Cup.

Secondly, Abbos set a unique world record. Standing at 167 centimeters, the footballer was recorded as the shortest goalscorer to score a header in the history of the World Cup in the 21st century.

Following this historic goal and records, Matvey Lukin, a defender for CSKA Moscow and Abbosbek's former teammate, spoke about their communication.

Matvey Lukin noted that they continue to actively support Fayzullayev in Russia and are very happy with his success.

"This is the Uzbekistan national team's first goal at the World Cups. We texted after the game; he sent a video of himself sitting there very satisfied and happy," said Lukin.

The Russian footballer also didn't forget to give his former teammate friendly advice and a humorous warning ahead of the upcoming matches.

"I told him that there are still important games ahead and that he shouldn't lose focus. I joked that otherwise, he might lose his head," the defender added.

However, Matvey Lukin spoke highly of Abbosbek's personal qualities, emphasizing that he is extremely hardworking and far from things like "star sickness."