Colombians opened the score midway through the first half when
Francisco Zuluaga converted a penalty. Uruguayan harsh tackling led to Zuluaga's injury. In the second half Uruguay could come back from behind with
Luis Cubilla and
José Sasía's shots.[2]
The Soviet Union dominated the game from the beginning. Soon after half time, they opened the score when
Viktor Ponedelnik hit the bar with a free kick and
Valentin Ivanov headed in the rebound. In the last minutes, Ponedelnik scored from the edge of the area.[2]
Tragedy struck ten minutes before the final whistle, when
Eduard Dubinski was carried away with a broken leg after a clash with
Muhamed Mujić, who was later sent home by his team. Dubinski died almost seven years later in 1969 of
sarcoma.[3][4]
The Soviet team scored three quick goals in the first 11 minutes of the game but then let the Colombians make an impressive comeback in the late second half. In the 68 minute Marcos Coll scored a goal directly from a corner,[5] the first Olympic goal in World Cup history.[6][7]