Colombia tops Group K after Portugal draw 0-0

Colombia wins – Colombia’s 24 shots on goal couldn’t break through, but a 0-0 draw with Portugal at Hard Rock Stadium secured Group K for the Colombians and set up a July 3 knockout matchup with Ghana. Portugal, runner-up, will play Croatia on July 2.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colombia came in with a plan and carried it out like a script, churning the ball forward again and again until the only thing missing was the final line: a goal.

Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, in front of an electric crowd packed behind Colombia’s bright yellow jerseys, Colombia and Portugal played to a scoreless draw. It was enough for Colombia to finish the World Cup’s opening round as the Group K winner.

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo didn’t mince words after the match. “We were the better team and deserved to win,” he 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.”.

The chances were there. Colombia fired 24 of the game’s 37 attempts on goal, never losing its rhythm despite game-time temperatures topping 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius.).

Both teams had already locked in spots in the knockout stage before kickoff. so the night was partly about measuring themselves for what comes next—while also learning who they’d meet. Colombia’s reward is straightforward: it will open the knockouts on July 3 against Ghana. Portugal will play Croatia on July 2 as the Group K runner-up after Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 earlier Saturday.

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez, speaking through an interpreter, framed the draw in terms of the bigger picture. “Win, losing or having a draw today didn’t make a difference,” he said. “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.”.

For Colombia’s supporters, the disappointment came in moments too close to the net to ignore.

Bruno Fernandez came near the breakthrough in the first half, only to be denied by Camilo Vargas. At the other end, Portugal’s Diogo Costa made six saves—more than in Portugal’s first two matches combined.

And in stoppage time, Davinson Sanchez thought he had finally sent the ball over the line. He powered a back-post header in a minute into stoppage time, but the goal was ruled offside—barely, by the tip of a toe—leaving the yellow-clad fans whistling in disbelief.

Portugal entered the knockout stage after an up-and-down group run and the pursuit of its first World Cup title. Cristiano Ronaldo’s team had reason to look back with mixed feelings. Portugal began group play with a surprising 1-1 draw against Congo, when Ronaldo faced criticism after failing to score. He responded in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. where he became the first player to score in six World Cup tournaments. adding two goals.

After the draw with Colombia, Diogo Costa said the team was still turning toward the next opponent. “First of all, we are satisfied to have made it past the first phase, obviously,” he 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.”.

Colombia’s own group campaign was built on momentum. After not qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, it opened this tournament with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan and followed with a 1-0 victory over Congo.

The setting helped turn the match into something bigger than a group-stage finale. It was played at the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins before a sellout crowd of 64,478. Among those in attendance were 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.

The match was also among the tournament’s most sought-after, fueled by South Florida’s large Colombian community and by the draw of seeing Ronaldo in what many viewed as his presumed final World Cup. Early Saturday, the lowest get-in prices hovered around $3,500.

For those shut out of tickets, the energy didn’t stop at Hard Rock Stadium. Multiple watch parties unfolded across South Florida, including one with thousands in attendance at the home arena of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

Colombia didn’t get the goal it wanted. But the scoreboard didn’t take away the achievement: Group K belongs to Colombia, and the knockout road begins July 3—where finishing will suddenly matter even more than it did in a night of relentless pressure and near-misses.

Colombia Portugal World Cup Group K 0-0 Hard Rock Stadium Néstor Lorenzo Ghana Croatia Diogo Costa Camilo Vargas July 3 July 2 Miami Gardens