Colombia began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in a Group stage clash at Mexico City Stadium on Thursday.
Goals from Daniel Munoz, Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz secured all three points for the South American side in the first ever meeting between the two nations.
Although Colombia entered the match as favourites, Uzbekistan made life difficult during the opening stages. The Central Asian side stayed organised defensively and prevented Colombia from finding their usual attacking rhythm in the first 10 minutes.
The Colombian supporters thought their side had broken the deadlock in the 18th minute when Jhon Arias fired an effort from outside the box. However, the shot struck the side netting, and celebrations quickly turned to disappointment.
Uzbekistan nearly stunned Colombia in the 31st minute. Bekhruz Karimov drove forward with purpose and looked set to get a shot away before Jhon Lucumi produced an important defensive intervention to stop the danger.
Colombia immediately responded and came within inches of scoring. Arias delivered a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area for Luis Diaz, whose sliding effort beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the base of the post.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 40th minute. Luis Diaz started the move before receiving the ball again and producing a brilliant pass into the path of Daniel Munoz. The defender timed his run perfectly and applied a delicate finish beyond Utkir Yusupov to send the Colombian fans into celebration.
It was a superbly worked goal, combining intelligent movement, precise passing and clinical finishing. Munoz finished like a seasoned striker to give Colombia a deserved lead.
That goal transformed Colombia’s confidence. Deep into first half stoppage time, James Rodriguez tested Yusupov with a powerful effort, but the Uzbekistan goalkeeper reacted well to keep the deficit at one.
At the break, Uzbekistan faced an unwanted statistic. They became the first team at the 2026 World Cup to fail to register a single touch inside the opposition penalty area during the opening half. Their coaching staff responded with changes, introducing Dostonbek Khamdamov and Farrukh Sayfiev for Sherzod Nasrullaev and Oston Urunov.
The substitutions helped Uzbekistan improve significantly after the restart. Their reward arrived in the 60th minute when they scored their first ever FIFA World Cup goal.
The move started with a cross to the back post, where captain Eldor Shomurodov produced an audacious volley. Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas failed to deal with the effort, allowing Abbosbek Fayzullaev to react quickest and nod home the rebound.
The historic goal sparked huge celebrations among the Uzbekistan players and supporters, who suddenly believed they could claim a famous result.
However, Colombia restored their lead just five minutes later. High pressing forced Uzbekistan into a mistake, allowing Colombia to regain possession in a dangerous area.
The ball found Luis Diaz on the left side and the Liverpool forward calmly slotted his effort across goal. Although Yusupov got close to the shot, he failed to keep it out and Colombia were back in front at 2-1.
Uzbekistan refused to give up and continued searching for another equaliser. In the second minute of stoppage time, Akmal Mozgovoy found space inside the penalty area but could not keep his effort on target.
Two minutes later, Farrukh Sayfiev delivered a dangerous low cross into the six yard box. Eldor Shomurodov looked ready to connect at the far post, but Colombia’s defence reacted well to clear the danger.
Colombia finally secured victory in the ninth minute of added time. Cucho Hernandez showed tremendous determination on the right flank, winning possession before delivering an excellent cross into the area.
Jaminton Campaz met the delivery perfectly and guided a low header into the bottom corner to seal a 3-1 victory and spark celebrations around Mexico City Stadium.
The goal carried additional significance for Colombia, who scored three goals in a World Cup match for the first time since their 3-0 victory over Poland on June 24, 2018.
When the final whistle sounded, Colombia had secured a deserved victory thanks to their superior quality in key moments. Uzbekistan showed resilience and made history through Fayzullaev’s landmark goal, but Colombia’s attacking strength ultimately proved decisive.
The South Americans leave their opening fixture with maximum points and early momentum, while Uzbekistan can take encouragement from a spirited second half performance despite beginning their World Cup campaign with defeat.
