Masharipov: "I didn't know Kyrgyzstan had a player sent off"

Uzbekistan national football team player Jaloliddin Masharipov admitted in the 90minutUz podcast that he did not notice the red card shown to Kyrgyz defender Said Datsiyev in the 24th minute of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan.

Masharipov recalled that, during the match, he struggled with two opposing defenders marking him, which created difficulties. When the host mentioned that Kyrgyzstan’s red card had worked against Uzbekistan — forcing the opponent into a deep defensive stance — Masharipov added:

"I’ll tell you something. After I was substituted in the 86th minute, I sat down, and Khojimat Erkinov told me, ‘Brother, it’s good that they got a red card.’ I was shocked and asked, ‘Who got a red card?’ Honestly, I had no idea. I didn’t see it at all. At that moment, I was lying on the ground after an attack and must have missed it."

Masharipov further revealed that even Eldor Shomurodov was unaware of the red card until after the game:

"When we were in the shower after the match, I told Eldor, ‘They got a red card during the game.’ He was also surprised and asked, ‘Who got a red card? When did that happen?’ We both thought we had played 11 vs. 11 the entire time."

At this point, one of the podcast hosts asked whether head coach Timur Kapadze had adjusted the tactics at halftime, knowing about the red card.

"No one mentioned the red card. Timur aka [Coach Timur] said a few things, but nothing about that. I only found out after I was subbed off. Eldor only realized it in the shower after the game," Masharipov said.

"If we had known during the game, we would have been more relaxed. Had I known, I would have told Timur Aka to remove a defender and bring on an attacker."

Widespread reactions on social media

A video of this conversation went viral on social media, sparking widespread debate. Many fans who attended the match live also admitted they only became aware of the red card later. Some suggested that the penalty decision in the same incident distracted Uzbek players from noticing the sending-off. Others pointed out that the referee issued the red card after a VAR review, which may have added to the confusion.

At the same time, some fans found it hard to believe that the topic was never discussed in the locker room or mentioned by the coaching staff, leading to sarcastic remarks and criticism.

Some also blamed the players for their lack of awareness.

Journalist Qahramon Aslanov expressed his shock over the situation in a social media post:

"I was stunned to learn that Jaloliddin Masharipov and some other players did not realize that Kyrgyzstan was down to ten men for the rest of the match. In modern football, numerical superiority in key areas is crucial — it can be the deciding factor. Jaloliddin even admitted that he and Eldor constantly faced two or three defenders, which made their task difficult."

"So why wasn’t the opponent’s red card the main topic during halftime? Perhaps Coach Timur assumed that everyone already knew about it and didn’t see the need to emphasize it. But isn’t this one of the most critical tactical details that should be addressed in halftime instructions? Did we enter the second half without a game plan, or were Masharipov and Shomurodov simply not paying close attention to the coach’s briefing?"

"No matter how you look at it, this is not a good sign, in my opinion."