MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Colombia’s plan was nearly perfectly executed. The only thing missing was a goal.
Didn’t matter — it goes into the knockout stage as a group winner.
Colombia finished the ’s opening round as the Group K winner after playing Portugal to a scoreless draw Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in front of an electric crowd of supporters, the majority of whom were clad in Colombia’s bright yellow jerseys.
“We were the better team and deserved to win,†Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said. “I think we created so many chances. We just lacked finishing. The players were outstanding against a top contender … not only did we play them on equal terms, we dictated the terms. I think playing against a rival like that, showing this kind of football to all these people, in this heat, was incredible.â€
He wasn’t wrong. Colombia had 24 of the game’s 37 attempts on goal, never wilting despite the game-time temperature topping 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius.).
Both squads had already secured spots in the knockout stage before the match, needing only to learn their opponents for the next round.
Colombia opens the knockouts on July 3 against Ghana, which entered with one of the lowest FIFA rankings but also played England to a scoreless tie during the group stage. Portugal Croatia, which beat Ghana 2-1 earlier Saturday, on July 2 as the Group K runner-up — potentially needing to go through Spain to reach the quarterfinals.
“Win, losing or having a draw today didn’t make a difference,†Portugal coach Roberto MartÃnez said through an interpreter. “Our goal really is to play eight matches. The path for us really doesn’t make a difference. We tried to win the match. Our opponent did the same.â€
Both squads put forth lively efforts. Bruno Fernandez came close to putting Portugal ahead in the first half, but was denied by Camilo Vargas. Portugal’s Diogo Costa had six saves, more than in the team’s first two matches combined. Davinson Sanchez thought he had given Colombia a lead with a back-post header just a minute into stoppage time, but he was ruled offside — barely, by the tip of a toe, if that much — and the goal was disallowed as those yellow-clad fans whistled in disbelief.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal squad, looking for its first World Cup title and a favorite to win the tournament, heads to the knockout stage after an up-and-down group stage.
Portugal opened group play with a surprising . Ronaldo faced criticism after in that match, and answered by to score in six World Cup with two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
“First of all, we are satisfied to have made it past the first phase, obviously,†Costa said. “But clearly, we aren’t fully satisfied because we always want to win. That’s what we work for every day. Our focus is on Croatia. We’ll be paying even closer attention to them now in this World Cup.â€
Colombia, which did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, opened with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan then topped Congo 1-0.
The match played at the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins took place in front of a sellout crowd of 64,478 that included former Colombia soccer star Carlos Valderrama, FIFA President Gianni Infantino — who sat in a suite with FBI director Kash Patel and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, NBA player Jimmy Butler, musical couple Gloria and Emilio Estefan, actor Matt Damon and former NFL receiver Chad Johnson.
It had been viewed as one of the most sought-after matches of the tournament, both because of South Florida’s and the draw of seeing Ronaldo in presumably his final World Cup. The lowest get-in prices hovered around $3,500 early Saturday on Friday.
Multiple watch parties held across South Florida to accommodate those who couldn’t secure tickets to the , including one with thousands in attendance at the home arena of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.
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