Manchester City star Abdukodir Khusanov has gifted a World Cup cameraman a signed Uzbekistan shift after wiping him out during their opening game against Colombia. The 22-year-old flew into a challenge with Piero Hincapie on the sidelines and was unable to halt his momentum, which resulted in him knocking over a camera operator.
Khusanov was booked for his late foul while medics and assistants rushed over to the fallen individual to check if he was OK. An Instagram post from the Uzbekistan FA has since revealed the gesture made by Khusanov following the incident.
The caption of their post read: “The Uzbekistan National Team played its first FIFA World Cup match against Colombia yesterday.
“During the game, defender Abdukodir Khusanov was involved in an accidental collision with a broadcast camera operator while challenging for the ball near the touchline.
“Representatives of the Uzbekistan Football Association visited the operator to check on his condition and presented him with a special jersey signed by Abdukodir Khusanov. The defender also conveyed his sincere wishes for a speedy recovery and sent his regards to the operator.”
Uzbekistan went on to lose the game 3-1 and now face a challenge to qualify for the knockout stages with Portugal and DR Congo having already picked up a point each.
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That draw was particularly disappointing for Roberto Martinez’s side with star player Cristiano Ronaldo struggling to make an impact. Bruno Fernandes also failed to impress with Ronaldo’s sister liking a social media post criticising his display.
The family of another top World Cup star has also been in the headlines with Lionel Messi’s father Jorge recovering from a health problem, as confirmed in a statement.
View 2 ImagesLionel Messi’s father Jorge is dealing with a health issue
The Argentina captain was visibly upset after scoring the first of three goals against Algeria and later revealed that was crying in the immediate aftermath of his opener.
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France, Germany and the USA also managed dominant wins earlier in the tournament while England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday evening.
The Three Lions face Ghana up next following their last-gasp win over Panama with a draw very likely to take both sides through to the knockout stages.