Colombia defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 at the Azteca Stadium, getting their World Cup Group K campaign off to a smooth start. Luis Díaz scored and set up a goal, Daniel Muñoz opened the scoring, and Jaminton Campaz put the result beyond doubt late on; the Central Asian debutants got their first-ever World Cup goal through Abosbek Fayzullaev, only to fall further behind again five minutes later.
Gap in quality and grit: a classic "South American press, Central Asian counterattack"
Put the two teams' recent form side by side and the scoreline comes as no surprise. Data from this site shows Colombia's FIFA ranking has risen to 13th, up one place, with 1,693.09 points; Uzbekistan sits 50th, also up two places. A Copa América runner-up against a team making its World Cup debut—the gap on paper was never in the same tier. Yet Uzbekistan under Cannavaro played tightly enough in the first half: sitting deep, pressing aggressively, and keeping Colombia out of the box for a full 39 minutes—until Díaz's diagonal ball found Muñoz, who slotted home from a tight angle for his third international goal.
The stats further confirm the old script of "the team that controlled the game prevailed in the end." Colombia had 61% possession, completed 520 passes at 86% accuracy, with 15 shots and 4 on target; Uzbekistan had 39% possession, 8 shots with only 2 on target, 318 passes at 76% accuracy. This bears similarities to Colombia's 2-0 win over Poland in 2018—back then they did not dominate shot counts either, yet delivered the decisive blow at the crucial moment. The difference tonight was that their opponents were younger, more of an unknown quantity, and more deserving of respect.
First half: posts, tackles and the Azteca roar
After kick-off, James Rodríguez and João Arias both posed threats in succession, yet Uzbekistan stood like a moving wall. Behruz Karimov once won the ball on the counter and drove forward, only for Johan Lukumi to throw himself in and snuff out the danger. Díaz struck the post and nearly changed the scoreline; moments later, Abdukodir Khusanov brought Díaz down while making a sliding clearance, and a pitchside photographer also briefly required medical attention—an incident that captured the physical intensity between the two sides.
More than 80,000 fans turned the Azteca into a sea of yellow, and the chants of “Vamos Colombia” almost made Mexico’s home ground feel like an outpost of Bogotá. Muñoz recalled after the match that once Díaz received the ball, their eyes met before he delivered a brilliant pass that said, in effect, “just let me finish it.” For Colombia, that kind of understanding spoke louder than any statistic and showed they remain one of the most title-ready sides in Group K.
After the break: euphoria over the opener and a five-minute collapse
Uzbekistan clearly picked up the pace in the second half. In the 60th minute, Dostonbek Khamdamov fed Eldor Shomurodov; Camilo Vargas parried the low shot but could not fully smother it, and Fayzullaev nodded in from close range—a historic moment for the Central Asian side, as the drums on one side of the stadium instantly drowned out those on the other. Yet the joy lasted only five minutes: Gustavo Puerta played a through ball, Díaz swept it home from a tight angle, and the stands roared “Lucho.”
Campaz added another goal to seal a 3-1 scoreline. For Uzbekistan, this was no humbling defeat: they proved they can score on the World Cup stage and that Cannavaro’s counter-attacking framework still has room to breathe in top-level matchups. But 14 fouls, the pressure of yellow cards, and a gulf in shooting efficiency meant they were unlikely to complete a comeback within 90 minutes.
Post-match view: Colombia wanted to “set the standard from the opening whistle”
Compared with Colombia’s group-stage performances at this World Cup and in 2018, the common thread is clear: you don’t need to bombard the opponent all game—you can kill them on the counter. Fifteen attempts, four on target, three goals—that’s a remarkably efficient return; by contrast, against Portugal they had 67% possession and 25 shots yet drew a blank, showing creation and conversion still weren’t aligned. Tonight, Díaz crossed that line with a goal and an assist.
For Uzbekistan, scoring on a World Cup debut is already a meaningful reward. With three consecutive 0-0 draws in the first three rounds of 2027 Asian qualifying, their defensive resilience suggests they may remain known as a tough nut to crack. To pick up points in Group K, though, they’ll need to push their shot accuracy above 25% next time—one goal from two on target was overachievement here, not enough to keep stealing points.
What to Watch Next
Colombia face a stern group-stage test against Portugal on June 28 at 07:30—a match that will show whether they can carry their opening-night momentum into a decisive qualification clash. Uzbekistan must snap out of their first-goal euphoria quickly, stick with Cannavaro’s low block in the remaining fixtures, and sharpen their finishing on the break. Group K is still wide open, but Colombia have already put themselves in the driver’s seat with a 3-1 win.
