Luis Díaz leads Colombia's 1-3 rout of Uzbekistan at the Azteca
Muñoz, Díaz and Campaz sealed Colombia's 1-3 win, a statement display at the Azteca despite Fayzullaev's goal.
Colombia delivered a recital and beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in a 2026 World Cup Group K clash played on a historic stage. Mexico City's Estadio Azteca in Mexico, a temple of world football seating 80,824 and a witness to two World Cup finals, buzzed with the quality of the 'tricolor'.
The scoring opened in the 40th minute when Daniel Muñoz finished off a Luis Díaz assist. Uzbekistan responded on the hour with a stunning Abbosbek Fayzullaev strike that restored parity and hope, but the dream lasted barely five minutes: in the 65th, Luis Díaz made it 1-2 after a pass from Gustavo Puerta. Then, in the 90th, Jáder Campaz rounded off the rout, assisted by Carlos Hernández, to seal the 1-3.
The match was clean on the disciplinary front, with just two yellows: Johan Mojica (7') for Colombia and Abdukodir Khusanov (34') for Uzbekistan, on an afternoon defined by Colombian dominance rather than physicality.
Néstor Lorenzo deployed a 4-3-3 with Camilo Vargas in goal and a fearsome front three of James Rodríguez, Luis Suárez and Luis Díaz. Fabio Cannavaro, in charge of Uzbekistan, opted for a 3-4-2-1 with Utkir Yusupov between the posts and Eldor Shomurodov as the focal point up top, but his block could not contain Colombian talent.
With this win, Colombia stand as serious contenders in Group K at this 48-team World Cup hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, while Uzbekistan, an exciting debutant, must recover quickly if they are to chase one of the qualifying spots.