Abbosbek Fayullaev has scripted history by becoming the first Uzbekistani player to score a goal in the FIFA World Cup. The 22-year-old scored the White Wolves’ maiden goal at the team’s opening game against Colombia in their first-ever World Cup campaign at the Azteca Stadium on Wednesday.
Colombia’s Daniel Munoz broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, courtesy of an assist from Bayern Munich star Luis Diaz. Fayullaev, who primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a right winger, later scored the equaliser in the 60th minute by shooting Dostonbek Khamdamov’s volley in the empty net, leaving Camilo Vargas dazed.
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Regarding Fayullaev’s formative years, he was born in the Sirdaryo region of Uzbekistan on October 3, 2003. He received a call-up to the Uzbekistan U-19 team while at the Pakhtakor Tashkent academy in 2019.
Subsequently, he made his U-23 debut in October 2021, scoring a goal against Bangladesh in the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification. The 22-year-old also won the Uzbekistan Young Star of the Year award in 2022.
Abbosbek Fayzullaev made his senior debut for the White Wolves in June 2023 at the age of 19 under Srecko Katanec. The 22-year-old currently plays for Turkish side Basksehir FK, which he joined last summer. In 27 appearances across all competitions, he scored four goals and provided seven assists.
Fayzullaev was also a key player for Uzbekistan’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup. After coming close to qualifying at the three previous occasions but failing, the White Wolves also got the title of ‘nearly men’. However, they became the first Central Asian nation to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Edited by Vignesh Raja