Searching for revenge

Uzbekistan faces its second commitment in the World Cup with the difficult mission of facing Portugal, one of the European giants. The White Wolves, who debuted with a 1-3 defeat against Colombia at the Estadio Ciudad de México, left an image of commitment and resilience, although defensive errors ended up costing them dearly.

Uzbekistan's inaugural match

The first half showed a well-organized team, capable of holding on until the 40th minute, when Daniel Muñoz opened the scoring for the coffee growers. In the second half, Abbosbek Fayzullaev made history by becoming the first player from Uzbekistan to score in a World Cup, a goal that temporarily equalized the score and ignited the hopes of an entire country. However, the prowess of Luis Díaz and Jáminton Campaz tipped the scales and sealed the Colombian victory.

Cannavaro's comments and possible lineup

After the match, Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian coach and 2006 world champion, did not hide his frustration at the lack of composure from his players: "When a small team like ours works as it did today, it's clear that losing 3-1 is too much, because I had asked my team to be good, but they were too nervous. At the end of the first half they only thot about defending, in the second half they didn't. I also had to change the left wing because I didn't like it, but the 3-1 is tough," he acknowledged.

The possible lineup of Uzbekistan (3-4-2-1): Utkir Yusupov; Abdukodir Khusanov, Abdulla Abdullaev, Jakhongir Urozov; Behruzjon Karimov, Akmal Mozgovoy, Otabek Shukurov, Sherzod Nasulloev; Abbosbek Fayzullayev, Urunov, Eldor Shomurodov.

WATCH beIN SPORTS XTRA LIVE FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE