Colombia squeeze past dogged Uzbekistan to open World Cup campaign with victory
Some very good things have come from Croydon, the often overlooked town in south London. The film director David Lean was born there, as was Roy Hodgson, the actor Peggy Ashcroft and the sexologist Havelock Ellis. Amy Winehouse studied in Croydon. The Bill and Peep Show were filmed there, as was the title sequence of the 1980s sitcom Terry and June. For a long time it was a centre of brewing and leather production. It was on a suburban driveway there that Pickles found the Jules Rimet trophy after it had been stolen in 1966. And on Wednesday Croydon proved the crucible of Colombia’s victory over Uzbekistan.
Daniel Muñoz’s brilliant strike, created by Luis Díaz, set Colombia on heir way to a win that should never have been as edgy as it ended up being. But his Crystal Palace teammate Jefferson Lerma was a key figure in the centre of midfield, a controlling figure in Colombia’s domination of the majority of the game. “I’m living out my childhood dream of playing in a World Cup for my national team and for my country,” said a delighted Díaz after being named man of the match. “And what could be more beautiful than contributing with a goal and an assist?”