Tehran: Sardor Rashidov is aiming to bring joy to a nation by helping Uzbekistan progress to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history after gaining a reputation as Asia’s nearly men over the years.
Uzbekistan, who currently occupy third place in Group A, travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday four points adrift of their table-topping opponents, who will advance to next year’s tournament in Russia should they claim all three points.
The White Wolves finished in third place in the standings during the previous qualification campaign, before losing on penalties to Jordan in the intercontinental play-off in a scenario they will be desperate to avoid repeating itself.
“We feel the support, the belief and the hope of the Uzbek nation,” said Rashidov. “As a player I feel the responsibility and as a fan I have the dream to get there.”
“Many people have been waiting for us for a long time and finally we want to do the job and qualify for the World Cup.
“Every time we have been close but this time we hope to do it and we have to win the three games to finish in the top two.”
Rashidov made his Uzbekistan debut just a month after the defeat to Jordan and has been a regular feature ever since, scoring 12 times in just under 40 appearances including a goal in the 2-0 friendly win over Thailand last week.
The 25-year-old El Jaish forward was in the line-up when Iran claimed a 1-0 win in Tashkent earlier in the campaign so has first-hand knowledge of a team that has so far proven unbeatable.
“Overall as a team Iran are very strong but I would highlight their counter-attacking skills,” noted Rashidov.
“We know they are one of the best sides in Asia and we go into the game knowing about all their strengths.
“We know how important the game is and we’ve been preparing for it for a long time. We feel the importance of the game and we know how crucial it is, so on Monday we will play for the win.”
With three games to play, Uzbekistan currently sit a point behind second-placed Korea Republic, who travel to Qatar on Tuesday and will be looking to open up a further breathing space between the sides.
But a positive result for the White Wolves would seem them go into the last two fixtures with optimism ahead of a clash with the Koreans in Tashkent on the final Matchday.
“It’s difficult to know [if that will be the decisive match] because we don’t know what will happen in the next two games,” added Rashidov.
“But I would love to defeat Korea Republic in Tashkent and qualify from that game – that would be a fantastic event.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com