Colombia and Portugal played out a 0-0 draw over the wall of sound at the Miami Stadium, with both teams qualifying for the last 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the top two in Group K.
The Colombians will regret their profligacy in front of goal on Saturday, but will take encouragement from dominating quality European opposition for long periods as they head to Kansas City as group winners to face Ghana on Friday.
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Portugal, needing a win to top the group, will head north to Toronto to play Croatia on Thursday knowing they have yet to find a way to combine all of their team’s talent into an effective team.
The match started with the noise of the yellow-shirted South Americans and when striker John Cordoba headed the ball over the bar in the first minute, the decibel level went up a notch.
Jhon Arias put Portugal in trouble at every turn, and he freed Córdoba in the 17th minute, the big goal man unleashing a rocket of a shot that keeper Diogo Costa did well to stop.
After a beautiful flowing move five minutes later, winger Arias took the shot himself and fired the ball towards the far corner of the net, but Ruben Neves arrived in time to flick it off the line.
However, Colombia struggled to clear their lines at times and it was this weakness that gave Portugal their best chance towards the end of the first half.
Bruno Fernandes found himself free in front of goal in the 39th minute, his shot taking an excellent point-blank save from Camilo Vargas in the Colombia goal.
Three minutes before half-time, Joao Félix cleverly chested the ball over a defender and fired an acrobatic volley over the bar.
Colombia went ahead in search of the goal they deserved, and Gustavo Puerta and playmaker James Rodriguez both troubled the goalkeeper with shots before the break.
Portugal attacked more after the break, but it was Colombia who continued to create the best chances, with Arias setting up substitute Richard Rios for a shot that went wide.
Arias had a shot on goal, which Costa saved well, and Puerta had another chance just before the hydration break.
Rodriguez’s volley went wide of the target just before he and Arias were substituted in the 73rd minute, but Colombia continued to press forward at every opportunity.
Davinson Sanchez thought he had scored the winner with a far-post header a minute from time, but it was called back for a very hard offside following a VAR check.
Rafael Leao came close to winning for Portugal with a shot in stoppage time that went wide of the goal, before the referee called time on the entertaining match, played in front of a crowd of 64,478 in the heat of the Miami evening.
Portugal’s totem Cristiano Ronaldo, who screamed and yearned for service whenever he touched the ball, barely got a chance, his one shot on target was a long-range free kick that went straight to the goalkeeper.
Visa sends DR Congo to last-32 match with England
In other group games, Yoan Wissa scored twice as Democratic Republic of Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualify for the last 32 of the World Cup for the first time in its history on Saturday.
They will face England after registering their first win in the World Cup.
Eldor Shomurodov’s lob over Lionel Mapasi gave Uzbekistan a perfect start in Atlanta.
But Newcastle striker Wissah equalized from the penalty spot, before Fiston Mayale’s goal sent the mainly Congolese crowd into frenzy.
Wissa capped off a historic night for the Africans with a superb strike in stoppage time for his third goal of the tournament.
Earlier on Saturday, Jude Bellingham dragged England into a stubborn Panama test, with Harry Kane scoring and sealing a 2-0 win that sent them through to the World Cup Round of 32 as Group L winners.
England had to work for more than an hour in rainy New Jersey before Bellingham broke the deadlock, crossing for Kane to score his 11th World Cup goal, taking him above Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Nikola Vlasic scored from Luka Modric’s corner in the 83rd minute to give Croatia a 2-1 win over Ghana on Saturday and second place in World Cup Group L.
Vlasic’s precise finish from the inside of the left post came 10 minutes after Derrick Luxen had equalized for Ghana on his international debut, with half time spent in a VAR review to determine whether he was onside.
Petar Susic scored early for Croatia, who needed only a draw to reach the last 32. Claiming second place guarantees the third-place finishers in 2022 a meeting with second-placed Portugal in Group K on Thursday in Toronto.
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