Colombia launched their FIFA World Cup campaign with an impressive victory on Wednesday, overcoming tournament newcomers Uzbekistan 3-1 in their Group K opener at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Daniel Muñoz opened the scoring for the South Americans, followed by goals from Luis Díaz and Jáminton Campaz to secure the win. Despite a determined fightback in the second half by Uzbekistan, Colombia’s superior skill ultimately proved decisive against Fabio Cannavaro’s disciplined squad in front of over 80,000 fans.
The Copa América runners-up controlled the opening half, dominating possession and generating the clearer opportunities. Early efforts from Jhon Arias and James Rodríguez tested Uzbekistan’s defense, while Díaz came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first stages of the match, striking the post. Though Uzbekistan managed to stay organized defensively and nearly capitalized on a Colombian misstep, Jhon Lucumí made a vital block to deny Bekhruz Karimov from converting a chance.
Colombia finally found their breakthrough in the 40th minute. After an earlier attack appeared to fizzle out, Díaz collected the ball and delivered an incisive pass to Muñoz, who calmly scored his third international goal. The strike sparked jubilant celebrations from the Colombian fans, whose presence turned the iconic stadium into a vibrant show of yellow.
Uzbekistan responded strongly after halftime and achieved a historic milestone on the hour mark with their first-ever World Cup goal. A strike from Eldor Shomurodov was stopped by Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, but Abbosbek Fayzullaev swiftly followed up, heading in the rebound to equalize and momentarily raise hopes of a remarkable upset.
Their dream of a comeback was short-lived, as Colombia regained control just five minutes later. Gustavo Puerta set up Díaz, who showcased impeccable composure by burying his shot across goal. Uzbekistan kept pressing forward, coming close with Karimov hitting the crossbar and Akmal Mozgovoy narrowly missing an opportunity, yet their efforts fell short. Deep into stoppage time, Campaz extinguished any doubts by scoring to seal a well-earned three points for Néstor Lorenzo’s team and bolster Colombia’s strong World Cup group-stage record.
