FIFA web site
November 27

Of all the teams based in Sharjah, Uzbekistan appear to be the most solemn. Less boisterous, almost elusive, coach Viktor Borisov's young charges talk to no-one outside the reduced circle of fellow countrymen surrounding the squad. However, as on the field of play, Ilyas Zeytulayev proves to be the exception. The side's star player speaks fluent Italian thanks to the fact that he is currently on the books of the mighty Juventus. FIFA.com sat down with the Asians' foremost hope to talk about the debut clash against Mali and the huge challenge the FIFA World Youth Championship UAE 2003 represents for himself and his teammates.

"The squad's doing fine, we're confident, though we know we're in the toughest group of the tournament," says the number 10. "We have to turn it on against Mali because it's a golden opportunity to qualify for the next stage. We need a point from the remaining two games to stand any sort of chance," he continues.

As is often the case at youth level, getting hold of footage to view opponents on film is a far from easy task. And Uzbekistan's attempts to do their homework before the opening game against Mali was a case in point, as Zeytulayev explains: "We saw a video of Mali, but the picture quality was no good at all. The camera was miles away from the pitch and it was virtually impossible to recognise the players. As I said before, it's going to be a tough match."

A lot going for them

While Zeytulayev's words are hardly charged with optimism, there is more than one reason to believe Uzbekistan could have a few surprises in store for their rivals. Among them, the amazing support of their fans, who have gone out of their way to cheer on the boys in Sharjah. "Today we found out that a plane has flown in with 250 Uzbeks on board, which brings the grand total to almost 500. Plus all those that live here! It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us to play in this competition," enthuses the young midfielder.

Unlike the tournament's heavyweights, Uzbekistan have been working together solidly for the last three years, which may well make all the difference. "We know each other perfectly both on and off the park and we're all aware of what we have to do. If Argentina and Spain take their foot off the gas a little when it comes to facing us, we might just make it to the second round," he hopes. However, the player is at pains to remain level-headed: "Given the group we're in, getting through would be a fantastic achievement in itself. I'd go home happy with that."

Growing among giants

While most of his teammates have yet to debut in the first division, Zeytulayev has already shared team talks, a dressing room and even the field of play with footballers of the stature of Paolo Montero, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet. "Being alongside those greats gives me a feeling beyond words," says the young man who has already run out for the Juve first team against Sampdoria in the Italian Cup. "Just thinking about it gives me butterflies."

"I get recognised around Turin, but I go unnoticed anywhere else. I like people saying hello to me and I try to be nice to everyone," the rising star continues.

But the, dreams are par for the course for someone who, at such a tender age, has travelled so far in the world of football. And it is no surprise to hear the player's parting words before joining his colleagues for dinner: "I want us to go as far as we can in this tournament. We owe it to ourselves and all those around us. But I have another longing beyond this competition, and that's to qualify the senior team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany." If he continues at this rate, we may well have to take him at his word.

UZBEKISTAN

The whole of Uzbekistan will hold its breath when its youngsters take to the pitch for their opening match at their first-ever FIFA World Youth Championship. This football-crazy Asian nation, which has only been a member association of FIFA since 1994, feels a great sense of pride to be sitting at the big table of world football so soon after independence. Uzbekistan is located between Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and China and gained its independence from the Soviet Union.

Viktor Borisov's side is largely made up of players from the country's top two teams, Pakhtakor and Neftchi. The Uzbek coach left nothing to chance in getting his charges ready for the FIFA World Youth Championship, lining up a series of training camps and friendly matches in the weeks and months preceding the tournament. Since the competition's postponement the boss has done his best to keep the side tight, and an appearance in the Afro-Asian games will have surely helped the cause. The Uzbeks will no doubt be a well-oiled outfit who will look to add collective organisation to their undisputed attacking thrust - the youngsters hit 33 goals in eight qualifying games, a figure only equalled by Japan.

Keeper Ignatiy Nesterov, defenders Vladimir Anikin and Yaroslav Krushelnitskiy and midfielder Ildar Magdeev all performed well in qualifying, but the two undisputed stars of the team are Juventus playmaker Ilyas Zeytulayev and CSKA Moscow striker Alexander Geynrikh. A footballer from far-off Uzbekistan does not get snapped up by Juventus unless he is something very special, so Zeytulayev in particular will need to show his worth if his side is to escape from Group B, where Argentina, Spain and Mali lie in wait.

Qualification

This former republic of the Soviet Union earned a spot in the finals with an impressive display at the 2002 Asian Youth Championship. In the preliminary round, a 12-0 thrashing of Nepal was followed by a 7-0 drubbing of Turkmenistan. Thailand were then brushed aside 4-0 in the finals, before Qatar gave them their first real fright. An epic encounter ended 5-4 in favour of the Uzbeks and was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals.

Uzbekistan's semi-final clash against fellow surprise package Syria was another classic, the 4-0 score-line hardly reflecting what was, in fact, a close-fought match until a goal blitz at the end extinguished Syria's hopes. Viktor Borisov's boys then gave Asian giants Japan a run for their money in the semi-final. They finished the stronger of the two sides in a game that ended 1-1 after extra time, only to go down 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out. A fourth place finish behind the fearsome threesome of Korea Republic, Japan and Saudi Arabia was a fantastic achievement though - and enough to earn them their cherished ticket to the Emirates.

Coach

At 61, Viktor Borisov can already look back on a long and distinguished coaching career. As a player, he plied his trade at Sverdlovec, Pamir and Yangiyer, before taking his first coaching job at Trud, in 1975, at the tender age of 29. After a period honing his craft at the National Football Academy in Moscow, he was handed responsibility for the Soviet youth side.

In 1987, Borisov returned to club management. In all he would coach five top Uzbek sides, including Pakhtakor, from the capital Tashkent. All that experience in Soviet and Uzbek football made Borisov an obvious choice for the Federation when they were looking for a coach to lead their Olympic side in 1998. He then graduated to the full international side in 2000 before being asked to take over the youth programme in 2001. Qualifying the youth side for the country's first-ever FIFA tournament has to be one of Borisov's greatest achievements, and the wily, old campaigner will now be hoping for further glory in the Emirates. Star player

Ilyas Zeytulayev carries many of the hopes and expectations of Uzbek football. A huge burden for one so young, but understandable when you consider he was snapped up by Juventus at just 17. After only one and a half seasons with their youth side, he has already turned out for the Italian giant's first team in cup and friendly games. Bianconeri coach Marcelo Lippi has marked Zeytulayev down as a future great, waxing lyrical about the Uzbek's exceptional all-round vision and clean strike of a ball.

Zeytulayev gave a glimpse of what we can expect from him in the coming years when he led the Uzbekistan side to fourth place at the Asian Youth Championship in Qatar. He pulled all the strings, regularly setting up his gifted strike partner Alexander Geynrikh. The Juventino was particularly impressive in the semi-final, when he constantly tied the Japanese defence in knots. No surprise then, when Zeytulayev was named in the Team of the Tournament.

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