Luis Díaz shines, Colombia beats Uzbekistan and debuts with victory in the World Cup

Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1 this Wednesday (18), at the Azteca Stadium, and debuted with victory in the 2026 World Cup. The South American team leads Group K, which also includes Portugal and DR Congo.

Luis Díaz finished as the Cafeteros' main highlight in the match, with a goal and an assist. He passed to Daniel Muñoz in the first half and scored in the final stage to give the country victory in Mexico City. Jaminton Campaz, 1.64m tall, scored with a header to close the score. Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored the Asian team's first goal in the history of the competition.

Back in the World Cup after being absent in 2022, the Colombian team is trying to repeat its 2014 campaign, when it reached the quarter-final stage. In the next round, Néstor Lorenzo's men will face DR Congo, in a game that takes place next Tuesday (23), at 11pm (Brasília time), in Guadalajara.

Uzbekistan, in turn, will seek to recover on the same date, but at 2 pm, when they face the Portuguese team. The duel takes place at NRG Stadium, in Houston, United States.

The match
After a balanced start, Colombia had its first opportunity in the 17th minute, with a shot by midfielder Jhon Arias who went wide. The team only got scared again in the 32nd minute, with a ball hitting the post from an attempt by winger Luis Díaz.

Colombian pressure paid off and the country took the lead in the 41st minute. Díaz found a beautiful pass to full-back Daniel Muñoz, who appeared free in the area and finished with style to score.

After the break, the South American team continued to have possession of the ball, despite showing difficulty in breaking through the Uzbek defense. And in the first dangerous start, Uzbekistan managed to equalize in the 15th minute. Center forward Eldor Shomurodov hit hard and goalkeeper Camilo Vargas failed to execute the defense. The ball was left in the small area and midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev took advantage to leave everything even.

Colombia were unfazed and soon scored for the second time in the match. At the 20-minute mark, midfielder Gustavo Puerta regained possession in the attacking field and rolled the ball to Luis Díaz, who shot into the corner to make it 2-1.

Behind the score, the Uzbeks went on the attack in the final stretch in search of a draw. In the 45th minute, midfielder Akmal Mozgovoy received a free kick, looked for an angle to finish, but missed the target.

At lights out, striker Cucho Hernández, who came off the bench, made a beautiful move down the right and crossed to the head of the short Jaminton Campaz, 1.64m tall. He tested hard and secured the victory at Azteca: 3 to 1.

See the ranking of the most valuable squads of the World Cup

Source: CNN