TORONTO, Jun 18 (V7N) – South American giants Colombia began their 2026 FIFA World Cup journey with a 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Uzbekistan in their Group Stage opener on Thursday.
Despite a spirited performance from the Central Asian side, Colombia's experience and attacking quality ultimately proved decisive as Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz inspired La Cafeteros to all three points.
Uzbekistan, making their first-ever appearance on football's biggest stage, delivered a determined display and briefly threatened to upset the South Americans after drawing level in the second half.
The newcomers found the breakthrough in the 60th minute when Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored a historic World Cup goal for his country. The move began with a powerful volley from Eldor Shomurodov that Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas failed to handle cleanly. Fayzullaev reacted quickest inside the penalty area and calmly headed the loose ball into the net, sparking wild celebrations among the Uzbek players and supporters.
However, Colombia responded swiftly through their star forward Luis Diaz. Just five minutes after the equalizer, the Bayern Munich winger cut inside from the left flank and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike toward the far post. Although the Uzbek goalkeeper managed to get a hand to the ball, the pace of the shot carried it into the net, restoring Colombia's lead.
Uzbekistan continued to fight for another equalizer, but Colombia maintained control during the closing stages and capitalized on additional space as the match entered stoppage time.
Jaminton Campaz sealed the result deep into added time, finishing off a counterattack to score Colombia's third goal and put the outcome beyond doubt.
The victory gives Colombia a strong start in the tournament and highlights their ambitions of making a deep run in the World Cup. For Uzbekistan, despite the defeat, their performance against one of South America's traditional powers offered encouragement as they continue their historic first World Cup campaign.
Colombia now sit in a favorable position in their group with three points, while Uzbekistan will seek to recover in their next match and keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage alive.
END/SMA/AJ
