Luis Díaz orchestrated a masterclass as Los Cafeteros overcame a resilient Uzbekistan side, utilising fluid attacking play and clinical finishing to cement their status as one of the World Cup’s dark horses.
The game’s opening goal came from an unlikely source: Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz. The adventurous defender raced into the box and was picked out perfectly by Díaz. He swivelled on the ball and finished like a seasoned striker, never mind a full-back. The freedom and fluidity of Colombia flummoxed Uzbekistan, who did not cover themselves in glory defensively.
Football, wow - out of nothing, Uzbekistan were level. Their boldness and bravery reaped the rewards of a goal. Khamdamov conjured an opening down the left flank and sent a clipped cross into the box. Shomurodov connected brilliantly on the volley and, although Vargas got a hand to it, his awkward save only spilled the ball to Fayzullaev, who nodded in from point-blank range.
In a matter of minutes, Colombia had restored their lead. Diaz opened his World Cup account. Uzbekistan were robbed of the ball in midfield and, as a result, punished immediately. There will be question marks over the goalkeeper.
The substitutions of Jaminton Campaz and Cucho Hernández combined to good affect. Hernandez showed desire to find Campaz with a pinpoint cross who sealed all three points with an emphatic header.
A fascinating affair concluded the opening round of fixtures in Group K, as Uzbekistan took on Colombia.
Colombia are, for many people, a surprise dark horse and, if their star players Diaz and James Rodriguez can combine, you would not bet against them.
For their opponents, Uzbekistan, the question was whether or not they could conjure up enough quality to become one of this tournament’s surprise packages.
Early on in proceedings, Uzbekistan started the better of the two teams. It had been a physical opening 10 minutes, something that favoured Uzbekistan.
The gameplan for Uzbekistan was clear - be hard to beat and stay in the game. The difficulty happened when they entered Colombian territory; that is when quality evaded them and attacks broke down.
Los Cafeteros appeared to be warming to the task of breaking down Uzbekistan. The former Wolves man, mercurial talent Jhon Arias, had begun to flex his muscles, snapping a sizzling shot into the side netting. It was enough, though, to have Utkir Yusupov scrambling across his goal line.
Colombia’s main man in the first half Arias turned provider, feeding a perfectly weighted pass through to the dangerous Diaz, who was unlucky to see his shot crash off the post.
After a tentative start, this game livened up. Both teams’ star players, Abdoukadiar Khusanov and Diaz, took part in a competitive foot race down the line, matching each other stride for stride. It ended in a blood-and-thunder challenge by Khusanov, clattering into Diaz, who took the cameraman down with him.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first. One noticeable difference, though, was that Uzbekistan manager Fabio Cannavaro had ripped up Plan A and moved to Plan B, where more attacking intent was on display.
The danger lay in whether or not they gambled too quickly. If they did, the game could get away from them at a rapid rate.
Uzbekistan should be proud of spirited display
“A goal for mid Asia,” the commentator bellowed - and that is what football is about - connection, community and joy. The World Cup brings that in abundance.
Their first ever World Cup goal will be etched into the history of Uzbekistan.
On the second half showing, they may just be tricky customers for the rest of Group K.
Diaz dazzles for Colombia
For Colombia, the objective was simple - get their World Cup campaign off to a winning start. While the performance was not as polished as they would have hoped, Los Cafeteros did enough to secure all three points and put themselves in a strong position in Group K. Tournament football is often about finding ways to win, and Colombia managed exactly that.
There will be a slight sense of frustration that they were unable to turn periods of dominance into a more convincing scoreline. Colombia created the better openings throughout the contest and looked capable of pulling away, particularly after taking the lead. But , Uzbekistan’s resilience and physical approach ensured the game remained competitive, preventing Colombia from building the goal difference they would have liked.
Ultimately, though, Néstor Lorenzo’s side will not care too much. Three points on the board is all that matters at this stage of the competition. With tougher tests potentially to come, Colombia can take confidence from getting the job done without being at their best - a trait often shared by teams that go deep into major tournaments.
