AFC Futsal Asian Cup
One of the most recognisable futsal names in his nation, Rakhmatov scored in the 14th minute to bring his side back into their game after Australia were two up. His goal opened the way for the Central Asian side to go on to emerge 4-2 winners.
“It doesn’t matter who scored the first goal because we needed one, but I’m happy it was me,” said the 32-year-old. “We just followed our head coach’s (Nodir Elibaev) instructions that we must win, and so we did.”
The turning point in that match was a pep talk by Elibaev during a time-out.
“The coach said we were playing a good, strong game but we just needed to relax and concentrate, try to prevent our opponents from scoring and for us to widen the winning margin.”
The turning point in that match was a pep talk by Elibaev during a time-out.
“The coach said we were playing a good, strong game but we just needed to relax and concentrate, try to prevent our opponents from scoring and for us to widen the winning margin.”
#ACFutsal2026 | Group C: Australia 2-4 Uzbekistan
Rakhmatov is no stranger to the continental showpiece. Now competing in his third AFC Futsal Asian Cup, he played a key role in the 2022 edition by scoring in the quarter-finals against Kuwait to help his team reach the last four stage.
He was also part of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup squad, where his volley against Egypt secured their first-ever victory and qualification for the knockout phase.
He was also part of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup squad, where his volley against Egypt secured their first-ever victory and qualification for the knockout phase.
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The Almalyk MFK player, like his teammates, believes that Indonesia 2026 is where the White Wolves will finally clinch the coveted trophy after emerging runners-up four times.
“This is the year we become champions,” he said. “We played badly (against Australia) but imagine us at our full potential. That is the game we are all waiting for, where we play at 100 percent.”
“This is the year we become champions,” he said. “We played badly (against Australia) but imagine us at our full potential. That is the game we are all waiting for, where we play at 100 percent.”
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