Portugal's Francisco Conceicao, right, vies for the ball with Uzbekistan's Khojiakbar Alijonov during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Uzbekistan in Houston, June 23.Ashley Landis/AP hide caption TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Uzbekistan's White Wolves men's soccer team entered this World Cup as underdogs.
By all appearances, as underdogs they will leave.On Tuesday, Uzbekistan was soundly thrashed by Portugal 5-0 — significantly reducing the country's chances to qualify for the next round of play in this World Cup, the first ever for a Central Asian nation.Yet for many Uzbeks, the White Wolves' mere presence at the tournament was always a dream come true — and mirrored the country's wider ambitions, win or lose.Uzbek fans have reveled in the chance to showcase their country and culture, staying behind long after the matches ended to pose for photos as steppe warriors, give away the country's ubiquitous embroidered duppy skullcaps, or just joyously dance to drums."For the whole nation, to represent our country on the big stage.It's [a] huge honor," explains the White Wolves star forward Abbosbek Fayzullaev, who scored Uzbekistan's first (and, thus far, only) World Cup goal in a 3-1 loss to Colombia on June 17.
Uzbekistan's Abbosbek Fayzullaev celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Uzbekistan and Colombia in Mexico City, June 17.Natacha Pisarenko/AP hide caption Long before the tournament ever began, the country's president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, began touting the team as a symbol of "the new Uzbekistan" — one part of what Mirziyoyev says is a "golden generation" of Uzbek youth "destined" to make their mark in sports, culture, a...