Colombia needed an hour to crack a stubborn World Cup debutant, and then Luis Díaz decided it himself. A goal and an assist gave Los Cafeteros a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan at the Estadio Azteca — even after Abbosbek Fayzullayev had scored Uzbekistan’s first goal in World Cup history.
Here are my takeaways from Colombia’s opening win:
1. Colombia Won Without Being Overly Impressive
(Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images)
For an hour, this felt like the kind of game that ends in an upset. Colombia had the ball — nearly 70% of it — but little clue what to do against a packed Uzbek block that often looked like a 5-4-1. James Rodríguez floated around, Jhon Arias stung the side-netting, Díaz smacked the post, and the longer it stayed level the louder the doubts grew.
Then we finally had the quality shine through. Two moments of real class settled it, and a team that shipped more goals than anyone in CONMEBOL qualifying held on after a brief wobble. Three points, a list of things to fix, and little else. Nestor Lorenzo will have some long nights ahead preparing against better opposition in the group.
2. Díaz Delivered. Suárez Has Work To Do.
(Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images)
Here were Colombia’s two in-form attackers, and they delivered opposite performances. Luis Díaz dragged his absurd first season at Bayern — 15 Bundesliga goals, 14 assists, a league-and-cup double — straight onto the World Cup stage, teeing up Daniel Muñoz’s opener and then hammering home the winner himself for his first goal at a World Cup. He was Colombia’s transition, their threat, their match-winner.
Luis Suárez was the other story entirely. Twenty-eight goals for Sporting this season, and barely a touch worth the name before he was hooked just past the hour. That’s not all on him — a striker lives on service, and Uzbekistan’s low block didn’t allow any. But it underlined the truth: Colombia run through Díaz, and Suárez’s club numbers count for nothing until the chances actually come.
3. Two Stars Might Not Be Enough For Uzbekistan
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Uzbekistan have two genuinely high-level footballers, one on each end of the field. Abdukodir Khusanov — the fastest center back in last season’s Champions League and a Manchester City player at 22 — anchors Fabio Cannavaro’s back three and gives this side recovery pace most center backs can only envy.
Up top, captain Eldor Shomurodov is a proven scorer: 44 international goals, plus 22 in Turkey’s Süper Lig this season. But two players don’t make a tournament team. Khusanov was booked while chasing Díaz and was beaten for the winning goal. Shomurodov spent the night on an island, living off scraps. The block was disciplined, the fight was real, and the historic equalizer was earned. Whether any of it adds up to points is the harder question. At this level, Uzbekistan needs the other nine to play at a higher standard.
4. Group K Just Cracked Wide Open
This was a good night to be Colombia. They didn’t just win — Portugal also stumbled, held to a 1-1 draw by a fearless DR Congo team that scored its first World Cup goal through Yoane Wissa while Cristiano Ronaldo misfired. Just like that, it’s Colombia, not Portugal, sitting alone at the top of the group. It’s a group that always looked manageable and now looks like an opening. Winning Group K is suddenly on the table.
For Uzbekistan, zero points hurts, but this isn’t a funeral — in a 48-team field where eight third-place sides go through, a competitive and fiery debutant is still breathing. Their best shot at points is DR Congo, who proved tonight they’re nobody’s free lunch — and they’re up next, along with Portugal. The margin for error just vanished.
Read the full article here
