In the 34th minute, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico, Luiz Diaz sprinted down the left wing but was fouled by Khusanov. The Colombia forward fell, and the Uzbekistan center-back, carried by momentum, also collided with a cameraman on the sidelines.
The television crew sent staff to remove equipment from the cameraman. Medical personnel, including a FIFA doctor, arrived to provide care and then assisted the individual to an ambulance for transport to the hospital.
The match was interrupted for about half a minute.
The cameraman was injured after colliding with Abdukodir Khusanov in the 34th minute of Uzbekistan's 1-3 loss to Colombia in their opening match of group K at the 2026 World Cup, held at Estadio Azteca in Mexico, on 17/6. *Video: Marca Mexico*
Khusanov is a key player for Uzbekistan. The 21-year-old center-back joined Man City in January 2025 and gradually established his position from the second half of the 2025-2026 season. He is currently valued as Asia's most expensive defender at 40 million USD, according to Transfermakt, ranking above other notable defenders such as Kim Min-jae, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Hiroki Ito.
The group K match was the final game of the opening round of the 2026 World Cup. Khusanov and his teammates, making their debut in the finals, presented a challenge for the South American representative.
Colombia maintained nearly 67% possession, creating pressure and numerous opportunities. However, Luiz Diaz was the star of the match with one goal and one assist.
In the 41st minute, Diaz assisted Daniel Munoz, who opened the scoring in the 40th minute. Uzbekistan rallied at the start of the second half and equalized through Fayzullaev in the 60th minute. However, Colombia only needed 5 minutes to regain the lead with Diaz's goal. The 3-1 score was finalized in the 9th minute of added time after a header from Jaminton Campaz.
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Midfielder Luiz Diaz (left) vies with center-back Abdukodir Khusanov during Colombia's 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in their opening match of group K at the 2026 World Cup, at Estadio Azteca, Mexico on 17/6. *Photo: AP*
In their second match on 24/6, Uzbekistan will face Portugal. The game is expected to be challenging, especially after Ronaldo and his teammates drew 1-1 with DR Congo.
Uzbekistan was one of three Asian representatives to lose in the opening round. Previously, Iraq and Jordan lost 1-4 to Norway and 1-3 to Austria, respectively. Meanwhile, South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2-1, and Australia beat Turkey 2-0. Qatar, Japan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Switzerland, 2-2 with Netherlands, 2-2 with New Zealand, and 1-1 with Uruguay, respectively.
By Trung Thu
