The Sports Guru
A goalless draw does not sound like much until you watch one with 37 shots in it. Colombia and Portugal could not separate themselves in Miami, but the night still decided who topped Group K, who finished second, and gave Cristiano Ronaldo another line in the record books. This is how a 0-0 came to matter.
There is a version of 0-0 that sends people to sleep and a version that has them on their feet, and Colombia against Portugal was firmly the second kind. The two sides drew a blank at Hard Rock Stadium in front of 64,478 supporters, but they did so having shared 37 shots and a finish that Colombia will feel they should have won. The draw was enough to send Colombia top of Group K and Portugal through as runners-up, so both got what they needed. Colombia simply got a little more of it.
It was, remarkably, the first time Colombia have failed to score in a World Cup match. They will not mind the footnote given how the night unfolded, because for long stretches they were the better team and forced Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa into six saves. Costa was the difference between a clean sheet and a defeat, and on another evening Colombia win this comfortably.
A Goalless Draw With Plenty in It
Portugal had the greater volume, taking 24 of the game's 37 shots, but volume and quality are not the same currency. The clearer chances belonged to Colombia, and the one moment that truly tested the other goalkeeper came from Portugal's captain. Bruno Fernandes forced Camilo Vargas into an outstanding reflex save, the sort that keeps a goalless scoreline honest. For all Portugal's possession of the ball, it was Colombia who looked likelier to break it.
The biggest moment arrived in stoppage time. Davinson Sanchez thought he had won it, turning the ball home deep into added time, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside after a video review. It was an incredibly tight call, the kind that takes several replays and a drawn line to settle, and it denied Colombia a winner their performance had arguably earned. A goalless draw was not quite justice, but it was close enough.
Ronaldo Adds Another Record
Cristiano Ronaldo did not score, but he still left Miami with something. By starting the game he matched Lionel Messi in playing at a sixth World Cup finals, a club of two that may stay that small for a long time. He also became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, at 41 years and 132 days, a number that says as much about his durability as anything he did with the ball. Whatever one makes of the late-career Ronaldo, turning up to start a sixth World Cup at that age is its own kind of achievement.
How Group K Finished
The draw settled the top of the group cleanly. Colombia finish first, having beaten DR Congo 1-0 and Uzbekistan 3-1 before holding Portugal here, a maximum-minus-one return that marks them out as one of the sides to watch in the knockouts. Portugal go through second after their earlier draw with DR Congo and their thrashing of Uzbekistan, a campaign of moments rather than command. DR Congo, who beat Uzbekistan on the same day, advance behind them as one of the better third-placed teams, while Uzbekistan finished bottom without a point.
Verdict: The Goalless Game That Said Plenty
Some 0-0 draws are an absence of football. This was the opposite, a game stuffed with chances that simply refused to go in, decided in the end by a goalkeeper in form and a linesman's flag. Colombia were the better side and have the top seed to show for a tournament in which they have looked genuinely dangerous. Portugal will take qualification, a clean sheet against good opposition, and another record for their captain, and worry about the sharper edges later. Both teams are into the round of 32. Only one of them spent the final whistle wondering how they had not won.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Group K game finished 0-0 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, in front of 64,478 supporters. The result sent Colombia top of the group and Portugal through as runners-up. It was a goalless draw with plenty of incident, the sides sharing 37 shots, and it was the first time Colombia have failed to score in a World Cup match.
Davinson Sanchez turned the ball home deep into stoppage time and briefly looked to have won it for Colombia, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a video review. It was an extremely tight call that needed several replays to confirm. The decision denied Colombia a late winner and left the game finishing goalless, a result Colombia felt they had done enough to better.
By starting the match, Cristiano Ronaldo matched Lionel Messi in playing at a sixth World Cup finals. He also became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, at 41 years and 132 days. He did not score in the goalless draw, but the appearance alone added another milestone to a career already full of them and underlined his remarkable longevity at the top level.
Colombia topped the group, having won their first two games against DR Congo and Uzbekistan before drawing with Portugal. Portugal finished second and also advanced to the round of 32. DR Congo, who beat Uzbekistan on the same day, went through as one of the better third-placed sides, while Uzbekistan finished bottom of the group without a point from their three games.
Portugal had more of the ball and took 24 of the 37 shots, but the better openings fell to Colombia, who forced Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa into six saves. Portugal's clearest moment came when Bruno Fernandes drew an outstanding reflex save from Colombia's Camilo Vargas. On the balance of chances Colombia were the more likely winners, which made the disallowed late goal harder to take.
Sources: The final score, venue and attendance from Sky Sports' coverage of Colombia 0-0 Portugal at the World Cup, with the disallowed Davinson Sanchez goal, the shot counts, Diogo Costa's six saves, the Bruno Fernandes chance and Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance records cross-checked against match reports from Sky Sports, France 24 and Al Jazeera, and the Group K standings drawn from the teams' results across the group stage.
