Portugal helped Colombia make history, but not the kind either side wanted. In one of the priciest matches of the group stage at a sweltering Miami Stadium, Los Cafeteros played the first 0-0 World Cup match in their 100-year history – and Portugal deserved plenty of blame after wasting several clear-cut chances against their South American opponent.
The cheapest ticket at Miami Stadium was reportedly around $2,600 on second-hand markets, making it one of the priciest matches of the group stage. Portugal fans will likely want their money back.
Despite featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto, and more, A Seleção never truly got going in attack and, as a result, surrendered their faint hopes of winning Group K to Colombia. In truth, it was a match Portugal could easily have lost.
The first half was fairly even, despite Colombia holding a 55-45 edge in possession. In the 39th minute, Fernandes had Portugal’s best chance of the opening period, firing a shot from close range that was saved by Camilo Vargas. Early in the second half, Colombia nearly gifted Portugal the opener after a bad giveaway created a two-on-one chance with João Félix and Ronaldo against Jhon Lucumí, with Vargas waiting in goal. Ronaldo, though, mistimed his run and was called offside.
From there, it was one-way traffic for Colombia, who had heavy support in the building. Los Cafeteros had 11 shots in the second half, including three on target, and nearly found their breakthrough when James Rodríguez blasted a long-range effort toward an open goal, only for it to ricochet off a Portugal defender.
Then, in stoppage time, Davinson Sánchez appeared to have won it, sending a header past Diogo Costa, who was otherwise excellent on the night with six saves. Sánchez sprinted toward the stands to celebrate with the Colombia faithful, only for the referee to call the play offside. VAR reviewed it, and Sánchez was denied by the narrowest of margins.
As a result, Roberto Martínez and his side escaped South Florida with a point and a second-place finish in the group. But the Portugal manager will have plenty of questions to answer after a performance defined by attacking wastefulness, defensive breakdowns and a lucky escape.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Diogo Costa (9/10):
Easily the man of the match, making crucial save after crucial save. Make no mistake, without the 26-year-old, Portugal would have lost and might have been tied with the DR Congo on points in Group K.
Joao Cancelo (6/10):
Largely average before surprisingly being pulled at halftime. Was all over the right side of the pitch, accurate with his passing, but not very incisive.
Ruben Dias (7/10):
Was a step slow for most of the match, but came through with a massive header to block Luis Suarez’s point-blank chance in the 90th minute.
Renato Veiga (8/10):
Excellent throughout the night, and was a big reason why Portugal were able to keep a hungry Colombia attack at bay.
Nuno Mendes (7/10):
Stronger in attack, with six passes into the final third, but did have four recoveries.
Midfield
Ruben Neves (6/10):
Strangely got the start over Joao Neves, which Roberto Martinez quickly course-corrected in the second half. Got plenty of touches and was all over the pitch, but wasn’t as accurate as he would have liked in passing and failed to get either Fernandes or Ronaldo service.
Vitinha (8/10):
Tremendous in passing, went 54-for-54, which was one of the highest made passes in the contest. Created a strong chance and covered every blade of grass.
Bruno Fernandes (6/10):
Was largely quiet for about 70 minutes, before making his presence felt in final 20 minutes of the contest. Accurate with passing and connected on five-for-five long ball passes, but struggled in the final third. He missed a big chance and could have potentially had two goals in the first half. He will rue those missed opportunities. He made up for it by contributing to Portugal’s defensive efforts at the end.
Attack
Joao Felix (6/10):
Teed up arguably the biggest chance of the night, but Ronaldo mistimed his run and was called offside. Otherwise, Felix was willing to put in a foot with three defensive contributions, but his limited pace negates his effectiveness when playing on the wing.
Pedro Neto (6/10):
Had the opposite problem of Felix as Neto has strong pace, but failed to be direct when he got the ball.
Cristiano Ronaldo (5/10):
In his prime, Ronaldo would have likely dominated this match as Colombia’s compact backline would have presented the Portuguese icon plenty of space to blast through. Unfortunately, Ronaldo is now 41 and doesn’t have the legs he used to anymore. It showed. Ronaldo’s impact was largely limited in helping his side build in the attack. Even more crippling, Ronaldo had three or four chances, two of which should have been goals. Not his night.
Subs & Manager
Diogo Dalot (7/10):
Provided 45 minutes of strong play on both sides of the ball.
Joao Neves (5/10):
Martinez was criticized on social media for leaving out the PSG man in the starting XI, but he might have been right. He ran a lot, but didn’t do much to impact the match.
Samu (6/10):
Brought on for fresh legs and didn’t disappoint.
Rafael Leao (7/10):
The AC Milan man might have given Martinez a thought about his XI after his performance in just 20 minutes. Completed the most dribbles of the contest with three and was incisive each time he touched the ball.
Matheus Nunes (NA):
Came on at the 90th minute
Roberto Martinez (5/10):
Made some confusing lineup choices and outside of one match, still hasn’t figured out a fit for his highest profile player in Ronaldo. This Portugal squad lacks directness in attack right now, and it’s on the manager to better line up the team to get the best out of the group. He desperately needs to take a page out of the Lionel Scaloni Argentina playbook.
