Hamdamov: Playing against Ronaldo was a dream, today it feels like a fantasy

After the Uzbekistan national team's intense battle against Colombia (1:3) in the first round of the World Cup, midfielder Doston Hamdamov gave a candid interview to the AFC press service about his impressions of the game and future plans. During the conversation, the player shared the head coach's words after the defeat, unforgettable memories from 2009, and his thoughts on the upcoming opponent — Cristiano Ronaldo.

Strong motivation from the head coach

Although the opportunity was missed in the match against Colombia, the strong resistance shown by the national team was highly praised by the head coach. This gave the players extra strength ahead of the crucial match against Portugal:

"Our coach said: 'You played very well and put up strong resistance against the opponent', he said. He expressed his satisfaction and noted that we must continue working to resist Portugal with the same intensity. We gained strong motivation from this. We keep moving forward," says Hamdamov.

2009: A childhood dream in Tashkent

Years later, fate is bringing Uzbek players together with the world football legend Cristiano Ronaldo once again. But this time, not in the stands, but on the pitch! Doston recalls the days when Ronaldo visited Tashkent in 2009 as follows:

• Unforgettable moments: At that time, our players were still young children, while Ronaldo was in his prime, at the peak of his stardom.

• An unreachable dream: In those years, stepping onto the field against Cristiano seemed like a simply unattainable dream for young boys.

• A great idol: Doston specifically admitted that he had been following Ronaldo's games since childhood and that he was a true idol for him.

"It feels like a beautiful dream"

Now, stepping onto the World Cup pitch not as a mere spectator but as an equal opponent is causing a special excitement among our players. It is clear that facing stars who play for Europe's top clubs, and Cristiano Ronaldo himself, will not be easy.

However, Doston Hamdamov emphasized that behind this difficulty lie very pleasant feelings:

"It feels like some kind of dream. It's difficult to play not only against Ronaldo but against players from Europe's top clubs. But on the other hand, it's pleasant. We will put up a good fight in the next match".

A vital match against Portugal awaits us. We believe our national team will give their all on the pitch and delight the fans!