Portugal held by Colombia in scoreless World Cup draw in Miami

Colombia held Portugal to a 0-0 draw at Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and a late Davinson Sánchez finish was wiped out by VAR for offside. The result left Colombia first in Group K with 7 points and Portugal second with 5, sending Colombia to Ghana and Portugal to Croatia in the round of 32.

Portugal came into Match 71 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup needing a win to finish first in Group K, but Cristiano Ronaldo and his side never took control for long. Bruno Fernandes had a first-half chance turned away by Camilo Vargas, and Colombia kept forcing Portugal deeper as the match wore on. ESPN described Portugal as an early tournament favorite in the expanded 48-team field, but the performance in South Florida offered little support for that status.

For Colombia, the draw preserved a perfect group-stage position and still delivered a landmark of its own: the national team’s first goalless World Cup match. Néstor Lorenzo had named a 26-man squad for the tournament, and Colombia arrived in Miami after beating Uzbekistan 3-1 and Congo DR 1-0 in its earlier Group K matches. Daniel Muñoz had scored twice before facing Portugal, underlining how much Colombia had leaned on wide players and direct attacking bursts to reach the top of the group.

The scoreless finish also exposed how fragile Portugal looked under sustained pressure. With Ronaldo isolated and the midfield unable to impose itself, Portugal spent too much of the night reacting rather than dictating. Colombia’s late push, capped by the disallowed Sánchez goal, was enough to leave the better shape and sharper transitions on one side and the more tentative control on the other. In a stadium that drew heavy demand and pulled watch parties across South Florida, the bigger result was not the blank scoreline itself but the bracket it reshaped.