Uzbekistan’s World Cup has moved north, from the thin air of Mexico City to the sealed dome of Houston’s NRG Stadium, where Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo and a crowd of number seven shirts await.
On paper, the move should help. The roof at Houston’s NRG Stadium will remain closed throughout the tournament, with air conditioning protecting the temporary grass pitch as much as the players. Outside, the Texas midday heat will feel closer to Tashkent, only with the Gulf humidity added in.
Uzbekistan have already learned that the World Cup offers little time for romance. Their 3-1 defeat to Colombia was more respectable than the scoreline suggested, but mistakes that might have escaped punishment in qualifying games against North Korea were seized on gleefully by the Colombian forwards.
“It was a very good experience for our players,” said head coach Fabio Cannavaro afterward. “When you make mistakes and pay like you did today, it’s something they will remember.”
His team began the game extremely cautiously but improved after the break. There was even the joy of Abbosbek Fayzullaev’s equalizer, a moment that has gone down in history as Uzbekistan’s first World Cup goal.
Such joy was brief. Within minutes, Luis Díaz had restored Colombia’s lead, and despite a late surge in Uzbek pressure, Colombia added a third in stoppage time.
“When a small team like ours has worked as we worked today, to lose 3-1 is too much,” Cannavaro said. He admitted his players had been nervous, too reluctant to step out of their own half. Against Portugal, he wants more personality and bravery. Uzbekistan cannot spend another 90 minutes waiting for the storm to pass.
Portugal arrive with their own problem. They were among the pre-tournament favorites and had the ball almost all night against the Democratic Republic of Congo but did very little with it. According to Opta, Roberto Martinez’s side completed 783 passes, had 75 percent possession, and still drew 1-1.
Much of the scrutiny has fallen on 41-year-old Ronaldo. He remains the most famous footballer on earth and perhaps the most famous person alive if Instagram is the measure. More than 666 million people follow him there. Houston had already seen the effect during Portugal’s first game. The stands were filled with Portugal shirts, the number seven emblazoned on the back.
FIFA had also cleared the way for him to play. After his red card against Ireland in qualifying, he was given a three-match ban for violent conduct but FIFA suspended two matches of it, leaving him free for the World Cup after he missed Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia.
Those fans saw little of the old Ronaldo, however. The aging legend was conspicuous only by his ineffectiveness and Portugal’s attacks lacked a focal point. He even took chances from better positioned teammates.
Thierry Henry was blunt after the Congo game, accusing Ronaldo of putting his own desire for glory ahead of that of the team. “The team needs to score. You don’t need to score,” Henry said.
This is the central question around Portugal. Is Roberto Martínez still managing a football team, or is the team still managing Ronaldo’s farewell?
A Young Generation Ready to Step Up
In December 2009, when he was still a Real Madrid winger, Ronaldo came to Tashkent for a one-day visit reportedly worth €600,000. He appeared in front of thousands of fans and held a masterclass for young Uzbek footballers. Several members of the generation now watching this World Cup were children then.
In a pre-game interview with FIFA, two members of Uzbekistan’s current squad recalled that visit. Defender Rustam Ashurmatov said much had changed since then. Uzbekistan’s players had grown older, gained experience and played far more games. “We have to go onto the pitch, be brave and perform,” he said. “We aren’t 13 any more.”
Dostonbek Khamdamov was more direct about what Ronaldo meant to him. “Ronaldo is my idol,” he said. “Playing against him will be a dream come true.” Then came the caveat that Uzbekistan will be relying on: “When the game starts, he will not be my hero, but my rival.”
The man most directly charged with confronting Ronaldo will be Abdukodir Khusanov. Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in August 2003, before Khusanov was born. The 22-year-old Manchester City defender is one of the clearest symbols of how far Uzbek football has traveled.
The players will know that many inside the stadium have come for Ronaldo, but Cannavaro will not mind – “Sometimes the atmosphere gives you motivation,” he said, citing his own experience playing in a World Cup semifinal against Germany in Dortmund.
Whether Uzbekistan is as motivated and ruthless as their coach is another question. After the Colombia defeat, Uzbekistan’s president called the country’s first World Cup goal a victory of its own, referring to the team as “my children, my heroes”.
It’s an attitude that some fans have also adopted. There were jokes online after the first game, including one comparing Uzbekistan to an unwanted character wandering into Monsters, Inc.
“I think they’re celebrating Fayzullaev’s goal,” said Xojiakbar Xamdamov, from Andijan. “We are still in euphoria from the debut.”
That awe should be gone now. Against Portugal, Uzbekistan need to play like a team that belongs here before the world decides they are just part of the Ronaldo show.
Portugal vs Uzbekistan takes place on June 23 in Houston, Texas.
12 noon local time
10 pm Tashkent time
