MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Colombia鈥檚 plan was nearly perfectly executed. The only thing missing was a goal.
Didn鈥檛 matter 鈥� it goes into the knockout stage as a group winner.
Colombia finished the 鈥檚 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鈥檚 bright yellow jerseys.
鈥淲e were the better team and deserved to win,鈥� Colombia coach N茅stor Lorenzo said. 鈥淚 think we created so many chances. We just lacked finishing. The players were outstanding against a top contender 鈥� 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.鈥�
He wasn鈥檛 wrong. Colombia had 24 of the game鈥檚 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 鈥� potentially needing to go through Spain to reach the quarterfinals.
鈥淲in, losing or having a draw today didn鈥檛 make a difference,鈥� Portugal coach Roberto Mart铆nez said through an interpreter. 鈥淥ur goal really is to play eight matches. The path for us really doesn鈥檛 make a difference. We tried to win the match. Our opponent did the same.鈥�
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鈥檚 Diogo Costa had six saves, more than in the team鈥檚 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 鈥� barely, by the tip of a toe, if that much 鈥� and the goal was disallowed as those yellow-clad fans whistled in disbelief.
Cristiano Ronaldo鈥檚 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鈥檚 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
鈥淔irst of all, we are satisfied to have made it past the first phase, obviously,鈥� Costa said. 鈥淏ut clearly, we aren鈥檛 fully satisfied because we always want to win. That鈥檚 what we work for every day. Our focus is on Croatia. We鈥檒l be paying even closer attention to them now in this World Cup.鈥�
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鈥檚 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 鈥� who sat in a suite with FBI director Kash Patel and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio 鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 secure tickets to the , including one with thousands in attendance at the home arena of the NHL鈥檚 Florida Panthers.
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