Uzbekistan face Colombia in historic World Cup debut

It is real now. Uzbekistan play their first World Cup match in history against Colombia on Wednesday at the Estadio Azteca, and the moment is 90 minutes away. Fabio Cannavaro's side arrive as tournament debutants in a Group K that also includes Portugal and DR Congo, with odds at 2000/1 and power rankings placing them among the outsiders (1). The pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands, a narrow 2–1 loss where Bart Verbruggen was forced off injured, showed the defensive organisation Cannavaro has drilled into this squad. Decades of near misses are behind you now.