Live Match Commentary
14 min Portuguese supporters would surely say Colombia are far too comfortable on the ball around the periphery of the Portuguese penalty area. Roberto Martinez on the Portuguese bench would probably agree.
13 min Portugal possess and shoot, but we’re interrupted by chimes that indicate Uzbekistan have scored. Please do follow that one with Bryan Armen Graham.
I’m adding a photo of Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama. I’d say he’s one of my favorite players, but if he’s not one of yours as well, you’re too young to have seen him play. The guy could shuffle his feet and send a 40-yard pass that lands on a pinpoint.
10 min Sublime control from Nuno Mendes on a long pass, but defender Santiago Arias stands his ground and forces the ball out.
9 min Portugal passing around on the right oops they’ve knocked it out. Goal kick.
The world feed has given us our obligatory Infantino sighting.
8 min Long pass is too high for Neto. Colombia will bang the ball the other way. Rodríguez shoots low and wide of the far post.
7 min Colombia waited too long to take a throw-in. Throw-in for Portugal. This is not a rule I will be enforcing with 9-year-old rec players this fall.
6 min Long throw for Colombia – goes all the way into the goalmouth. I have a story to tell about that, maybe during the 180 Seconds of Hydration.
5 min The free kick was not a thing of beauty.
George Meikle writes:
“What a great match! One side likes to stuff the box and kick you, vs. another team that likes to pull your kit and kick you. The Unvwilling vs. the Undead.”
4 min Portugal build patiently while fans whistle.
Silly foul from Jhon Arias, and Portugal have a free kick near the sideline. Everyone lines up at the top of the box, like the fifth group at the airport departure gate when they’ve just called Group 2.
3 min Current conditions in Miami: 87 degrees, 70% humidity, about 80% yellow shirts in the stands.
1 min Chance! Direct play to Díaz, the Portuguese defense don’t cope well, Díaz’s shot bounces off a leg, and Córdoba has a header that goes just high.
Peep! We’re off. Colombia in their typical yellow; Portugal in red. Nice change of pace from all the third jerseys we’ve been seeing here.
The teams observe a moment of silence for the 1,400 dead in the earthquake in Venezuela. Fans do not. Come on, folks. We don’t even do a full minute in the USA. You can be quiet for about 15 seconds.
Ref is Alireza Faghani of Australia, and he has two Australians with him.
Faghani, born in Iran, had a controversial call in the France-Senegal game – at least as some in England tell it.
VAR is Jerome Brisard of France.
Kudos to whoever at Wikipedia took the time to list all 495 possible permutations of third-place qualifiers at the World Cup and has kept track as that list has been updated.
Group Standings and Stakes
Here’s what’s at stake in this group:
Current standings
6 Colombia
4 Portugal
1 DR Congo
0 Uzbekistan
First place in the group will face Ghana. The winner faces Switzerland or, if calculations are correct, one out of Iran, Algeria, and Austria.
Second place in the group will face Croatia. The winner gets Spain and either … let’s just say Spain.
If Portugal were to finish third (an unlikely swing in goal difference with a big loss to Colombia and a big DR Congo win over Uzbekistan), they would get England. Yikes.
Previous Matchups and Other Games
Here’s a list of Colombia and Portugal’s previous head-to-head matchups …
The previous group’s games have now finished. We have 30 minutes until the scheduled kickoff here, and the most important matter of business at this point is simple: With Scotland out, can any other team borrow their supporters?
Did you hear two other games are in progress? Take a look.
Starters and Players to Watch
Colombia: Vargas; Machado, Lucumí, Sánchez, S. Arias; J. Arias, Lerma, Puerta; Díaz, Córdoba, Rodríguez
Portugal: Costa; Mendes, Veiga, Dias, Cancelo; Vitinha, R. Neves; Félix, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo
Colombia make three changes from the lineup that started the first two games. Córdoba joins the front line in place of Suarez. Both fullbacks have changed – Machado for Mojica, S. Arias for Muñoz. Mojica and Muñoz had started both games, but Mojica is on a yellow card.
For Portugal, Ruben Neves replaces João Neves, who started against Uzbekistan. They are not related.
Players to Watch
Crystal Palace defender Daniel Muñoz is the only player on the team with two goals. He and fellow Palace player Jefferson Lerma have played all 180 minutes so far, but Muñoz will be on the bench at the outset here.
James Rodríguez may no longer be at the same level as he was in 2014, when he won the Golden Boot and moved on to Real Madrid, but the Minnesota United player is more than holding his own at age 34.
Bayern Munich’s Luis Díaz scored a vital goal in the win over Uzbekistan.
We’ve covered that Ronaldo guy.
Goalkeeper Diogo Costa stopped a penalty in a shootout in Euro 2024.
Rúben Dias has been a steady force at the back, but fellow Manchester City defender Matheus Nunes has been dealing with lingering injury concerns.
Midfielder Bruno Fernandes is the team’s creative engine and has been fiercely loyal to Ronaldo and to Manchester United.
Match Implications
Let’s begin with the tangible stakes ...
If Portugal win this game, they win Group K, and Colombia will be second, resulting in these matchups:
Portugal: July 3 in Kansas City vs. the third-place team in Group L, if that team qualifies. Should the Group L team fall short, they’ll face the third-place team in Group I, which is Senegal.
Colombia: July 2 in Toronto vs. the runner-up in Group L (England, Ghana or Croatia).
If these teams draw, Colombia will win Group K, and Portugal will be second, so reverse the previous options.
If Colombia win, they win Group K, and Portugal will be second unless DR Congo make up a six-goal gap in goal difference. If that happens, Portugal would be third and would face the Group L winner (England, Ghana or Croatia).
Intangible Stakes and Ronaldo’s Legacy
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a pretty good career. He’s good enough that kids in the schools where I work, upon finding that I follow this sport, ask me, “Messi or Ronaldo?” The case for Ronaldo has dwindled, but the mere fact that the question is asked is proof that his marketing team have successfully reached fifth-graders. (Or that he is, indeed, a halfway decent player.) He has won eight domestic championships (three in a row with Manchester United, two with Real Madrid, two with Juventus, one with Al-Nassr) and five UEFA Champions League trophies (one with Manchester United, the rest with Real Madrid).
With the national team, he has been the bridge from one Golden Generation to another. The first such generation lost to the Flying McBrides (USA) and lost composure against South Korea in 2002. Ronaldo emerged onto the team after that and helped the team reach the Euro 2004 final and the 2006 World Cup semifinals. Portugal went on to more success in the Euros, winning in 2016, and the UEFA Nations League, winning in 2019 and 2025, but further World Cup success has been elusive.
So when Portugal opened this tournament with a draw against DR Congo, Portuguese nerves were certainly frayed. But Ronaldo scored twice in a rout over Uzbekistan, and all seems well ... for now?
But this Colombian side will not be an easy out. No team with James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz could be. And it’s worth noting that they beat Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo’s Recent Performance
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Ronaldo is getting on (pretty well):
Cristiano Ronaldo savoured the end of a “difficult, dark week” after scoring twice in Portugal’s 5-0 win and becoming the first player to find the net in six World Cups.
Ronaldo and Portugal had come under heavy criticism after a flat performance. There had been a particular spotlight on the 41-year-old Ronaldo, who had not scored in 10 major tournament games before Tuesday’s fixture. There have long been question marks over his continued ability to lead Portugal on this stage, but after the final whistle he shouted into a television camera:
“I’m back, I’m back.”
“God helps those who work hard,” Ronaldo said later.
“It was a difficult, dark week; it felt like I’d already retired from football. But I held on as I always do because I believe more in hard work than in football. It was difficult, I have to admit, but we’re back.
“It’s fine because when you think about it, it’s already 23 years I’ve been a professional and whenever things don’t go well it’s: ‘Cristiano, he’s finished, he’s old.’ But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”
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