Printed On 28 Jun 2026
Colombia and Portugal performed out a breathless 0-0 draw to a wall of sound at Miami Stadium, with each groups advancing to the final 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the highest two in Group Okay.
The Colombians will rue their profligacy in entrance of objective on Saturday, however take encouragement from dominating high quality European opposition for big intervals as they head off to Kansas Metropolis as group winners to tackle Ghana on Friday.
Beneficial Tales
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Portugal, who wanted to win to prime the group, go north to Toronto to play Croatia on Thursday, realizing they haven’t fairly but discovered a approach to mix all of the expertise of their squad into an efficient staff.
The match began to a cacophony of noise from the massed ranks of yellow-shirted South Individuals, and the decibel ranges went up a notch when striker Jhon Cordoba headed the ball over the bar within the first minute.
Jhon Arias triggered Portugal issues each time he ran at them, and he set Cordoba free within the seventeenth minute, the large goal man unleashing a rocket of a shot that keeper Diogo Costa did properly to cease.
After a stunning flowing transfer 5 minutes later, winger Arias took the shot himself and screwed the ball in the direction of the far nook of the web, just for Ruben Neves to reach simply in time to flick it off the road.
Colombia struggled to clear their traces cleanly generally, nevertheless, and it was this frailty that allowed Portugal their finest probabilities in the direction of the tip of the primary half.
Bruno Fernandes discovered himself free in entrance of objective within the thirty ninth minute, with his shot bringing a tremendous point-blank save out of Camilo Vargas within the Colombia objective.
Three minutes earlier than half-time, Joao Felix cleverly chested the ball over a defender and flashed an acrobatic volley over the bar.
Colombia pressed ahead, in search of the objective their dominance deserved, and each Gustavo Puerta and playmaker James Rodriguez troubled the goalkeeper with photographs earlier than the break.
Portugal attacked extra after the break, nevertheless it was Colombia who continued to carve out one of the best probabilities, with Arias establishing substitute Richard Rios for a shot that went huge.
Arias curled a shot at objective, which was properly saved by Costa, and Puerta drilled one other probability huge simply earlier than the hydration break.
A Rodriguez volley was deflected away from its goal within the 73rd minute, simply earlier than he and Arias had been substituted, however Colombia continued to tear ahead at each alternative.
Davinson Sanchez thought he had scored the winner with a far-post header a minute from time, nevertheless it was known as again for a really tight offside after a VAR test.
Rafael Leao went near profitable it for Portugal in stoppage time with a shot that flashed throughout objective, earlier than the referee lastly known as time on the entertaining match, performed out in entrance of a crowd of 64,478 sweltering within the Miami night warmth.
Portugal’s totem Cristiano Ronaldo, booed each time he touched the ball and starved of service, had barely a sniff of an opportunity, his one shot on the right track a long-range free kick that went straight to the goalkeeper.
Wissa sends DR Congo into last-32 conflict with England
Within the group’s different sport, Yoane Wissa scored twice because the Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and certified for the final 32 of the World Cup for the primary time of their historical past on Saturday.
They are going to meet England after registering their first-ever World Cup win.
Eldor Shomurodov’s lob over Lionel Mpasi gave Uzbekistan an ideal begin in Atlanta.
However Newcastle striker Wissa levelled from the penalty spot, earlier than Fiston Mayele’s objective despatched the primarily Congolese crowd right into a frenzy.
Wissa rounded off a historic evening for the Africans with a tremendous strike in stoppage time for his third objective of the event.
Earlier on Saturday, Jude Bellingham dragged England by means of a cussed Panama take a look at, scoring and establishing Harry Kane in a 2-0 win that despatched them into the World Cup spherical of 32 as Group L winners.
England had been made to work for greater than an hour in wet New Jersey, earlier than Bellingham broke the impasse, crossing for Kane to go in his eleventh World Cup objective, lifting him above Gary Lineker as England’s all-time main scorer on the event.
In the meantime, Nikola Vlasic headed in Luka Modric’s 83rd-minute nook to carry Croatia to a 2-1 victory over Ghana on Saturday and a second-place end in World Cup Group L.
Vlasic’s good end off the within of the left publish got here 10 minutes after Derrick Luckassen had pulled Ghana stage on his worldwide debut, with half the time in between spent on a VAR evaluate figuring out whether or not he was onside.
Petar Sucic scored early for Croatia, who wanted solely a draw to achieve the final 32. Claiming the second-place spot assured the 2022 third-place finishers a gathering with Portugal, the second-placed staff in Group Okay, on Thursday in Toronto.
