Yara El-Shaboury has the latest Football Daily round-up.
Yet for all the brilliance of Mbappé and Haaland, football’s greatest showman was not about to accept third billing. Hours after the younger generation had dazzled, Lionel Messi wandered on to the stage and reminded us sequels rarely outperform the original. A first World Cup hat-trick. A record-equalling 16th World Cup goal. Another entry in the ever-expanding folder labelled “proof he still has it.” Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, and Messi was involved in absolutely everything that mattered, including a raking challenge on Aissa Mandi that surely would have been a red card for mere mortals. Perhaps not inconsequentially, Gianni Infantino was in Kansas, watching on through misty eyes.
Not such a comfortable debut for Portugal though, who failed to click in attack against DR Congo.
Ronaldo’s baying followers, swathes of them with local accents and wearing his No 7 shirt, had done their best to cajole a meaningful contribution from their idol, but ultimately they had to settle for being under the same roof. Perhaps they expected a repeat of Lionel Messi’s staggering performance the previous night, but Ronaldo did little to assuage concerns that his presence, once glorious, is nowadays a dead weight. The watching Gianni Infantino could have been forgiven for wondering whether Fifa’s contortions in freeing him from suspension for this game had been worthwhile.
It’s already been a significant matchday for England, who looked like genuine contenders as they put four past Croatia.
They looked like they actually wanted to take part in a game of football, that this wasn’t just an activity to be undertaken out of fear and self-loathing. For the next 10 minutes they swarmed all over Croatia, might have scored four, and gave a glimpse not so much of patterns of play, but of a willingness to actually do this, of the muscle, speed and ruthlessness that are undeniably there in this team.
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 24 of the 2026 World Cup between Uzbekistan and Colombia. Kick-off in this Group K clash at the Estadio Azteca is set for 8pm local time (10pm EDT/3am BST/12pm AEST).
Match Overview
The final match of the opening round of fixtures is, on paper, perhaps the most unprepossessing. Uzbekistan, on World Cup debut, scored just 14 goals in their 10 AFC qualifying matches, and they take on a Colombia side that has gone off the boil since an incredible unbeaten run that stretched over two years from 2022 to 2024.
Uzbekistan’s Journey
Uzbekistan are one of the few lesser-known teams at the finals. They began their qualification journey led by Slovenian Srečko Katanec, but due to health issues, he resigned in 2025, passing the reins to national hero Timur Kapadze. The transition from under-23 coach was seamless, with Kapadze going unbeaten in his eight matches at the helm, securing the White Wolves’ participation in North America.
However, in October of last year, the Uzbekistan FA appointed Fabio Cannavaro. The 2006 World Cup-winning captain has not proven himself as a worthy coach, with a decent four-year stint at Guangzhou Evergrande ending in 2021, followed by brief and unsuccessful coaching roles at Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb.
Colombia’s Challenges
A mere 18 months ago, Colombia would have been considered among the tournament favorites. Under the guidance of Néstor Lorenzo, the Argentine led the team to victories over Germany, Brazil, and Japan, even taking Argentina to extra time in the Copa America final. Yet, recent friendly losses to France and Croatia have highlighted the limitations of a squad still heavily reliant on James Rodriguez to orchestrate play.
Luis Diaz possesses remarkable talent but has seen his form decline at Bayern Munich, while the absence of Jhon Duran since his move from Aston Villa to Saudi Arabia has deprived Lorenzo of a crucial x-factor.
I’ll return shortly with team news and a summary of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime, you can keep an eye on Ghana v Panama and email any thoughts about the tournament to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@.
