Luis Díaz celebrates Colombia’s winning start in World Cup debut

Luis Díaz’s first World Cup match ended in celebration, not caution, as Colombia opened with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan and gave its brightest attacker a debut to remember. The result was exactly the kind of early lift that matters in a tournament where one mistake can change a group, and one clean start can settle a squad fast.

Colombia arrived with momentum and expectation. Néstor Lorenzo’s team finished third in South American qualifying with 28 points from 18 matches, then carried a 26-player roster headed by James Rodríguez and Díaz into the tournament. The win in the Group K opener came after Colombia had already spent months chasing a return to the World Cup, having missed Qatar 2022. Its next tests will be even sterner, against Portugal and Congo DR/Jamaica, but the first hurdle was cleared with room to breathe.

For Díaz, the match doubled as a personal reset. The winger entered the World Cup stage for the first time and came away with a result that let Colombia control the tone of its campaign before the group pressure hardens. In an expanded World Cup built to reward depth and punish lapses, that matters. Teams can no longer treat an opener as a warm-up.

Panama learned the other side of that equation in Toronto, where Ghana beat the Central Americans 1-0 on Caleb Yirenkyi’s goal in the 90+5. Brandon Thomas-Asante delivered the cross that found Yirenkyi, turning a match that looked headed for a point-sharing finish into a late setback. Panama’s best openings came through Cecilio Waterman and Jiovany Ramos, but neither chance produced the equalizer.

The defeat left Panama without its first World Cup point, a painful marker for a team trying to survive a format that leaves less room for hesitation and fewer chances to recover. Ghana, meanwhile, moved to the top of Group L alongside England after England’s 4-2 win over Croatia on the same day. The result also carried historical weight for Carlos Queiroz, who became only the second coach to lead five consecutive World Cups, matching Bora Milutinovic’s run.

That contrast defined the first day: Colombia banking confidence, Panama absorbing damage, and the expanded tournament immediately separating the teams that handled the moment from those still searching for their footing.