Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s recruitment team will have seen exactly what they wanted from Abbosbek Fayzullaev in Uzbekistan’s 3-1 World Cup defeat to Colombia.
According to reports within the country, Liverpool have already been “closely monitoring Uzbekistan star Abbosbek Fayzullaev,” with outlet Zamin confirming that he has been “under serious observation” from the Anfield club for both club and country.
Reds scouts are expected to “continue monitoring him across Uzbekistan’s three group stage fixtures at the World Cup,” rather than this being a one‑off look.
The 22-year-old scored his nation’s first ever World Cup goal, a poachers finish at the back-post after a rebound from a volley in the 3-1 defeat.
FAYZULLAEV WITH A HEADER! UZBEKISTAN MAKE HISTORY AND SCORE THEIR FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP GOAL! 🇺🇿🥹
Get the WC pass and watch it NOW on SportyTV, the SportyTV App or our YouTube channel! 📺📲
🇿🇦🔗 https://t.co/NAhrEWXxGU pic.twitter.com/oWVQPQwzNT
— SportyTV (@SportyTV) June 18, 2026
Zamin described Fayzullaev as “our young star… who stood out with his brilliant play and passion on the field,” noting that he “received the highest rating in our national team — 7.1 /10.”
In their player table, Zamin simply labelled him the “team’s best player and author of the historic goal.”
His stats were very decent when you bare in mind that Uzbekistan were clear underdogs vs their Colombian counterparts:
Abbosbek Fayzullaev vs Colombia Value
Minutes played 77
Goals 1
Accurate passes 5/9 (56%)
Touches 27
Corners 2
He lifted three straight Uzbekistan Super League titles with Pakhtakor Tashkent before earning a move to CSKA Moscow in August 2023, where he was named Russian Premier League Breakthrough of the Season in his first year. A second transfer followed in the summer of 2025, when he penned a five-year contract with Istanbul Basaksehir .
Meanwhile, the Uzbekistan side have a tough group to navigate. They face Portugal in Group K on Tuesday 23 June before facing DR Congo on 28 June.