By Staff Reporter
MEXICO CITY – Colombia marked their return to the FIFA World Cup in style with a commanding 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Uzbekistan in their Group K opener at the iconic Estadio Azteca on Wednesday.
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz was the star of the show, scoring once and providing an assist as Colombia’s superior quality ultimately proved decisive against a spirited Uzbek side making its first-ever World Cup appearance.
Backed by a sea of yellow-clad supporters among the 80,000-plus crowd in Mexico City, Colombia dominated much of the contest but had to work hard to overcome a disciplined Uzbekistan team coached by former Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro.
After several early chances, Colombia finally broke the deadlock five minutes before halftime. Diaz picked out Daniel Munoz with a perfectly weighted pass, allowing the defender to calmly slot home his third international goal and give the South Americans a deserved lead.
Uzbekistan, however, refused to be overwhelmed. The Central Asian nation etched its name into World Cup history just after the hour mark when Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal. The midfielder reacted quickest after goalkeeper Camilo Vargas spilled a shot from captain Eldor Shomurodov.
The celebrations were short-lived.
Just five minutes later, Diaz restored Colombia’s advantage after being released by Gustavo Puerta. The winger calmly finished across goal, sending Colombian fans into raptures as chants of “Lucho, Lucho” echoed around the Azteca.
Uzbekistan continued to push for another equaliser and came agonisingly close when Bekhruz Karimov rattled the crossbar late on. But Colombia had the final say deep into stoppage time, with Jaminton Campaz sealing the victory in the 99th minute.
The result extends Colombia’s impressive World Cup group-stage record, with seven wins from their last eight matches at the tournament.
Colombia will next face Democratic Republic of the Congo in Guadalajara, while Uzbekistan take on Portugal in Houston as they continue their historic maiden World Cup campaign.
Result: Colombia 3-1 Uzbekistan
Scorers: Daniel Munoz (40′), Luis Diaz (65′), Jaminton Campaz (90+9′) – Abbosbek Fayzullaev (60′) for Uzbekistan.
