“I’ve been rooting for Ronaldo all my life, but today I hate him.” How Uzbeks supported their team in St. Petersburg

The Uzbekistan national team is the only post-Soviet team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in North America. This is an important event for the country - the national team is playing in the tournament for the first time.

Uzbek people support their own in St. Petersburg. They say that representatives of other Central Asian republics and Russians often come up to them these days and say that they also support their team.

“Paper” watched the match against the Portuguese national team in the cafe “Pilaf No. 1” and in the club of the dormitory for foreign students of the Polytechnic University. We talk about the emotions caused by the canceled goal and the fans’ attitude towards their team’s defeats.

“Uzbekistan has been waiting for this for thirty-four years”

The administration of the cafe “Pilaf No. 1” on Moiseenko Street was offered to show the team’s match by an employee of the establishment, Parviz. He, like most fans, missed the national team’s first match at the World Cup against Colombia due to the difference in time zones: the game, in which Uzbekistan lost with a score of 1:3, started at five in the morning Moscow time.

Parviz is glad that many people came to support the team - by the end of the first half, about twenty Uzbek fans had gathered in the cafe. Parviz has lived in St. Petersburg for a long time, and according to his recollections, during this time, the only event that united the Uzbek citizens of the city was the victory of the judoka from Uzbekistan Diyora Keldiyorova at the 2024 Olympics.

Parviz said that during the championship in St. Petersburg, people from all Central Asian republics talk about supporting the Uzbekistan football team. And for his compatriots, the championship became a universal topic of conversation when they met.

“Uzbekistan has been waiting for this for thirty-four years, and no matter what happens now, our country has become known all over the world,” the fans said before the start of the match.

They insisted that their team’s participation in the tournament was important, regardless of the results.

By the eighteenth minute of the match, Portugal was winning with a score of 2:0, and the café visitors mostly watched the match in silence.

“I don’t want to say, my mood has deteriorated,” said the forty-year-old fan.

At the 29th minute, the silence in the Plov No. 1 cafe was interrupted by the screams of the fans - Azizjon Ganiev scored the ball against Portugal. The goal turned out to be beautiful - a strong shot from outside the penalty area into the top corner.

The forty-year-old fan began calling his relatives in Uzbekistan and discussing the news, and the tense atmosphere in the cafe finally eased. However, soon everyone began to cluck in disappointment - after a video replay, the referee canceled the goal due to a foul. The score remained 2:0 in favor of Portugal.

One of the older Uzbek fans decided to go out for a smoke and promised that when he returned, the team would be able to score a goal. A couple of minutes after his return the score was already 3:0. One of the fans' eyes were slightly red. He said that his emotions from watching were difficult:

“They play poorly. The fact that the team qualified for the championship is a very significant event for the country, but I would like them to show something else at it.”

"It's scary to watch"

In the dormitory club for foreign students of the Polytechnic University on Civil Avenue, students from the Youth Union of Uzbekistan organized a viewing of the match. The chairman of the union is Mokhinur, a girl from Tashkent who has been living in St. Petersburg for the fifth year and is studying to become a costume designer at the Institute of Industrial Technologies and Design. Last year, the team qualified for the World Cup on her birthday.

“I was proud that such a historical event happened on my birthday - for me then it was also like a gift. Today I am happy that the whole world heard our anthem, and I am proud of my country. My emotions are beyond the pale,” said Mokhinur.

The student admitted that she burst into tears after a goal against Portugal was canceled out. She called the moment when he was scored the peak.

Students from Tajikistan, Angola, Cameroon and Zimbabwe also came to support the team. According to Mokhinur, during the championship in St. Petersburg, Russians and people of other nationalities often approach the Uzbeks and talk about their support for the only post-Soviet team at the championship.

“This is the best compliment that can be heard to every Uzbek citizen. Everyone says they are rooting for us. And this is very pleasant - we are glad that we have such friendship,” said Mokhinur.

The Youth Union of Uzbekistan also organized a viewing of the national team’s first match against Colombia - on the morning of June 18, the Consul General of Uzbekistan in St. Petersburg came to the Ankhor teahouse on Alexander Nevsky Square along with young people to support the team.

Twenty-five-year-old Otabek from Samarkand, who works as a cook in St. Petersburg, also went to this match. He recalled that, despite the defeat, the fans remained in a good mood: the team managed to score a goal, and the Uzbek team was satisfied with the performance of the national team

Otabek's friends invited him to watch the match at the hostel club - he came to the game in a good mood, but by the middle of the second half he no longer had any positive emotions left. Otabek, holding his forehead with his hand, admitted that after the goal was cancelled, his blood pressure jumped and he had a headache.

“I’ve been a Ronaldo fan all my life, but today I hate him,” the guy said about the Portuguese striker, who scored two goals against Uzbekistan in the first half.

“Our players were not ready at all - they [the Portuguese] immediately began to attack. Everyone understands that they are very strong. We didn't expect much. I just want to at least do something - at least one goal,” Otabek shared.

In the middle of the second half, the students' broadcast went off. They hastily began to log in to another service. The broadcast returned to the screen to a disappointed sigh from the audience. The score was already 4:0.

“It’s scary to watch,” Otabek shared. — Uzbekistan came out for the first time, so we were waiting for some kind of miracle. Which didn't happen."

The fan tensely shifted from foot to foot at the entrance to the club, watching the attack of the Uzbek team. “Maybe a goal?” Otabek said hopefully. However, a few minutes later the score became 5:0.

“Then, it looks like we’ll be rooting for Ronaldo - at the pace they’re going today, they’ll definitely be in the final,” Otabek joked sadly.

After the final whistle, some students remained in a good mood.

“It’s a pity, of course, that we lost, but Portugal is probably one of the top five teams in the world. And overall, we managed to score a goal. Although it was a violation, I was glad to see it. This is our first championship, so there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s good for the first time,” reasoned Sardor, a Polytechnic student.

According to him, the Uzbeks have been waiting for participation in the World Championship for a very long time, and during the five years of his life in St. Petersburg, he does not remember events that united his compatriots in the same way.

Despite defeats in the first two matches, Uzbekistan still has a chance of reaching the next stage. The eight best teams finishing third in their groups advance to the playoffs.

Uzbekistan needs to beat Congo big and hope for a lucky break. It is necessary that as few third teams as possible in the remaining groups score three or more points. The match with Congo will take place on June 28. The start time will again be late - 2:30 a.m. St. Petersburg time.

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