Colombia tops World Cup 2026 group after breathless 0-0 draw with Portugal

Colombia publication past 32 clash with Ghana, portion Portugal volition look Croatia successful the archetypal knockout stage.

Colombia and Portugal played retired a breathless 0-0 draw that was thing but dull to a partition of dependable astatine Miami Stadium with some teams advancing to the past 32 ⁠of the World Cup arsenic the apical 2 successful Group K.

The Colombians volition rue their profligacy successful beforehand of extremity connected Saturday but instrumentality encouragement from dominating prime European absorption for ample periods arsenic they caput disconnected to Kansas City arsenic radical winners to instrumentality connected Ghana ⁠on Friday.

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Portugal, who needed to triumph to apical the group, spell northbound to Toronto to play Croatia connected Thursday knowing they person not rather yet recovered a mode to blend each the endowment successful their squad into an effectual team.

The lucifer started to a cacophony of sound from the massed ranks of yellow-shirted South Americans and the decibel levels went up a notch erstwhile striker Jhon Cordoba headed the shot implicit ‌the barroom successful the archetypal minute.

Jhon Arias caused Portugal problems each clip helium ran astatine them and helium acceptable Cordoba escaped successful the 17th minute, the large people antheral unleashing a rocket of a changeable that keeper Diogo Costa did good to stop.

After a beauteous flowing determination 5 minutes later, winger Arias took the changeable himself and screwed the shot towards the acold country of the nett lone for Ruben Neves to get conscionable successful clip to flick it disconnected the line.

Colombia struggled to wide their lines cleanly sometimes, however, and it was this frailty that allowed Portugal their champion chances towards the extremity of the archetypal ⁠half.

Bruno Fernandes recovered himself escaped successful beforehand of extremity successful the 39th minute, ⁠his changeable bringing a good point-blank prevention retired of Camilo Vargas successful the Colombia goal.

Three minutes earlier halftime, Joao Felix cleverly chested the shot implicit a defender and flashed an acrobatic volley implicit the bar.

Colombia pressed guardant looking for the extremity their dominance deserved and some Gustavo Puerta and playmaker James Rodriguez troubled the ⁠goalkeeper with shots earlier the break.

Portugal attacked much aft the interruption but it was Colombia who continued to carve retired the champion chances with Arias mounting up substitute Richard Rios for a changeable that ⁠went wide.

Arias curled a changeable astatine extremity that was good saved by Costa and ⁠Puerta drilled different accidental wide conscionable earlier the hydration break.

A Rodriguez volley was deflected distant from its people successful the 73rd infinitesimal conscionable earlier helium and Arias were substituted but Colombia continued to teardrop guardant astatine each opportunity.

Davinson Sanchez thought helium had scored the victor with a acold station header a infinitesimal from clip but it ‌was called backmost for a precise choky offside aft a VAR check.

Rafael Leao went adjacent to winning it for Portugal successful stoppage clip with a changeable that flashed crossed extremity earlier the referee yet called clip connected the entertaining lucifer played retired successful beforehand of ‌a ‌crowd of 64,478 sweltering successful the Miami evening heat.

Portugal’s totem Cristiano Ronaldo, booed each clip helium touched the shot and starved of service, had hardly a sniff of a chance, his 1 changeable connected people a long-range escaped footwear that went consecutive to the goalkeeper.

Wissa sends DR Congo into past 32 clash with England

In the group’s different game, Yoane Wissa scored doubly arsenic DR Congo bushed Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualified for the past 32 of the World Cup for the archetypal clip successful their past connected Saturday.

They volition conscionable England aft registering their ever World Cup win.

Eldor Shomurodov’s lob implicit Lionel Mpasi gave the Uzbeks a cleanable commencement successful Atlanta.

But Newcastle striker Wissa levelled from the punishment spot earlier Fiston Mayele’s extremity sent the chiefly Congolese assemblage into a frenzy.

Wissa rounded disconnected a historical nighttime for the Africans with a good onslaught successful stoppage clip for his 3rd extremity of the tournament.

Earlier connected Saturday, Jude Bellingham dragged England done a stubborn Panama test, scoring and mounting up Harry Kane successful a 2-0 ⁠win that sent them into the World Cup circular of 32 arsenic Group L winners.

England were made to enactment for much than an hr successful rainy New Jersey earlier Bellingham broke the deadlock earlier crossing for Kane to caput successful his 11th World Cup goal, lifting ‌him supra Gary Lineker arsenic England’s all-time starring scorer astatine the tournament.

Meanwhiole, Nikola Vlasic headed successful Luka Modric’s 83rd-minute ‌corner to assistance Croatia to a 2-1 triumph implicit Ghana connected Saturday and a second-place decorativeness successful ⁠World Cup Group L.

Vlasic’s ⁠perfect decorativeness disconnected the wrong of the near station came 10 minutes aft Derrick Luckassen had pulled Ghana level connected his planetary debut, with fractional the clip successful betwixt spent ⁠on a VAR reappraisal determining whether helium was onside.

Petar Sucic scored aboriginal for Croatia, who needed lone a gully to scope the past 32. Claiming the second-place spot guaranteed the 2022 third-place finishers a gathering ⁠with Portugal, the second-place squad successful Group K, connected Thursday successful Toronto.