Khusanov and Uzbekistan step into the Azteca spotlight

Colombia await at the Azteca

Your team's World Cup debut is set. Uzbekistan face Colombia at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Portugal and DR Congo complete Group K. The odds are long, 2000/1 to win it all, but Cannavaro's side earned respect in their warm-up friendly against the Netherlands, a narrow 2–1 loss where they forced Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen off injured. The defensive structure is solid, and that is where the hope lives.

Fan reactions

A Reddit post making the rounds before the Colombia match: a screengrab of Abdukodir Khusanov's face the moment he spotted Anthony Taylor listed as referee. The caption says it all. City fans in the thread are sympathetic, they know that reaction well. [link]