4 Takeaways From Portugal’s Letdown vs. Colombia In The Group K Finale

Portugal came to Miami as many people’s pick to win the whole thing and left with a point, second place, and very little to brag about. Colombia outshot them 26 to 13 and hit everything but the net. Diogo Costa saved the day; the rest of Portugal mostly watched. A draw is a draw. This one came with a thank-you note to the keeper and an uncomfortable question: is this team actually a contender? Here are my takeaways from Portugal’s 0-0 draw with Colombia: 1. Portugal Were Billed As Contenders. Miami Said: Prove It. A lot of smart people had Portugal among the favorites to win this whole thing. On tonight’s evidence, those people might want a refund. Colombia ran the game from the first whistle: 26 shots, a ball hacked off the line, Diogo Costa standing on his head. Portugal managed two shots on target all game. The convenient excuse is the South Florida heat, and yes, it was a sauna in Miami. But here’s the flaw in that alibi: Colombia played in the same swamp and looked twice as sharp. Roberto Martinez slowed the tempo to a crawl to control the game and instead invited a siege. Unbeaten in the group? Sure. Convincing? Only against Uzbekistan. If this is a contender, it’s hiding it well. The heat didn’t park the bus. Portugal did. 2. The Ronaldo Watch: ‘I’m Back’ Just Met a Real Defense. The Cristiano Ronaldo arc this tournament has been a full-on soap opera. Game one against Congo DR: invisible. Scoreless, three shots, none on target, a chorus calling for the bench. Game two against Uzbekistan: a first-half brace, each met with an emphatic “SIUUU”. CR7 became the first man ever to score at six World Cups, and a roar of “I’m back!” straight down the camera. Game three against Colombia: anonymous again, this time against an actual defense. In his 40s now, it’s only normal that Ronaldo, an all-timer, will struggle against better defensive units. And here’s what isn’t changing: Martinez will not rotate him. He made that clear after the opener, and at 41, Ronaldo starts every knockout game until further notice. That’s the bet Portugal has placed. The knockouts don’t serve up Uzbekistan. They serve up the kind of defenders he just spent 90 minutes failing to beat. 3. Colombia Is A Real Dark Horse Forget Portugal for a moment. Colombia were the best team on the field tonight, and it wasn’t close. Néstor Lorenzo’s side topped Group K unbeaten and dismantled a so-called favorite. James Rodríguez, 34 and at his third World Cup, ran the whole thing from midfield like someone who’s been here before, because he has. Luis Díaz buzzed down the left. Davinson Sánchez even had a stoppage-time winner flagged offside. Colombia created enough to win three games. And that’s exactly the problem: 26 shots, zero goals. A team that dominates this thoroughly and still can’t score carries one terrifying flaw in knockout football, where you get one good look and have to bury it. Colombia looks like genuine quarterfinal material. They also look like a side that could dominate its way out of the tournament. Finishing is the gap. They’d better close it. 4. The Permutations: Portugal Gets Croatia, Colombia Gets a Gift, Congo Makes History. Let’s sort the Group K math. Colombia wins the group and draws a third-placed team in the Round of 32, a soft landing of sorts. Portugal, by slipping to second, gets Croatia and Luka Modrić on July 2. That’s a real one; Croatia doesn’t beat themselves. And then the story of the night: Congo DR beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and are through as one of the eight best third-placed teams, locked in regardless of results elsewhere. This is enormous. It’s their first World Cup knockout berth ever, and their first World Cup since 1974, back when they were Zaire. The Leopards grabbed a point off Portugal, pushed Colombia to the brink, and now face England in the round of 32. Fairy tales rarely wear this badge. This one does.