Colombia edge Portugal to top spot after World Cup stalemate - ESPN

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colombia finished the World Cup's opening round as the Group K winners after playing Portugal to a scoreless draw Saturday night.

Both teams had already secured spots in the knockout stage before the match, needing only to learn their opponents for the next round.

Colombia will play Ghana, which lost 2-1 to Croatia earlier Saturday. Portugal, who entered the expanded 48-team tournament as a favorite, will face Croatia as the Group K runners-up.

Despite the lack of goals, it was a lively affair. Bruno Fernandes came close to putting Portugal ahead in the first half, but was denied by Camilo Vargas. Portugal's Diogo Costa had six saves, more than in the team's first two matches combined.

Portugal, looking for their first World Cup title, head to the knockout stage after an up-and-down group stage.

Portugal opened group play with a surprising 1-1 draw against Congo DR. Cristiano Ronaldo faced criticism after failing to score in that match and answered by becoming the first player to score in six World Cup with two goals in Portugal's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

Finishing second in their group puts Portugal on the opposite side of the bracket to Argentina and means that a meeting between longtime rivals Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, in what is likely to be both stars' final World Cup, can now only happen if they make the final.

Colombia, who did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, opened with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan then topped Congo DR 1-0. Star playmaker James Rodríguez made his 11th men's World Cup appearance, the most ever by a Colombian, surpassing Freddy Rincón and Carlos Valderrama (10 each).

The match, which was played at the home stadium of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, took place in front of a sellout