A negative draw decided the match between Portugal and Colombia at dawn on Sunday, June 28, at the conclusion of the group stage competitions of the 2026 World Cup, to ensure that the two teams crossed to the round of 32 after a match characterized by excitement and missed opportunities.
The match witnessed a balanced performance between the two sides, with mutual attacking attempts, but the brilliance of goalkeepers Diogo Costa and Camilo Vargas prevented the net from shaking throughout the match.
Portugal almost opened the scoring in the 39th minute, when Bruno Fernandes fired a powerful shot, but Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas made a brilliant save, keeping a clean sheet.
Four minutes later, Portugal had another chance through Joao Felix, who fired a shot just over the crossbar, ending the first half in a goalless draw.
In the second half, the Colombian team intensified its attacking pressure, forcing goalkeeper Diogo Costa to intervene more than once, most notably in the 66th minute when he brilliantly deflected a powerful shot from John Arias.
In stoppage time, the Colombian team thought they had snatched the winning goal through Davinson Sanchez, but the referee canceled the goal after the offside technique returned, and the match ended in a negative draw.
With this result, the Colombian national team raised its score to 7 points, to occupy the top of Group XI and qualify for the round of 32, where it will face Ghana.
Portugal meet Croatia
Portugal finished Group 11 of the 2026 World Cup in the runners-up, having collected 5 points from 3 matches after a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first round and then secured a crushing 5-0 win over Uzbekistan before a goalless draw with Colombia.
Portugal qualified to face Croatia in the round of 32 of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
THE TWO TEAMS WILL MEET AT DAWN ON JULY 3 AT THE BMO FIELD STADIUM IN TORONTO, CANADA, AND IF THE PORTUGUESE TEAM QUALIFIES FOR THE FINAL EIGHT AT THE EXPENSE OF CROATIA, IT WILL CLASH WITH THE WINNER OF THE ROOKIE FROM THE MEETING WITH SPAIN AND THE RUNNER-UP OF GROUP TEN.
Portugal remain in the path of the Netherlands, Morocco, France and Germany in the final rounds, which makes the path of Ronaldo's comrades full of fiery confrontations.
DRC reaches the round of 32 for the first time in the World Cup
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) entered the history of the World Cup finals from its widest doors, after it succeeded in booking a ticket to the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, after a thrilling victory over Uzbekistan by three goals to one, in the match that brought them together on Sunday morning in the third and final round of Group XI competitions.
The match was a strong start by the Uzbek team, which was able to open the scoring early through its striker Eldor Shumodorov in the tenth minute, putting his country in front and keeping its hopes of ending its first participation in the World Cup with a positive result.
Despite falling behind in the result, the Congolese national team continued to look for a comeback in the match, before Yuan Wissa succeeded in adjusting the balance at the 68th minute of a penalty kick, which restored hope for the "Cheetahs" team and ignited the final minutes of the match.
The Congolese national team did not only realize the equalizer, but continued its attacking pressure, as Feston Maiele was able to score the second goal in the 78th minute, giving his country a valuable advance that put it on the verge of qualifying.
In the final minutes, Yuan Wesa returned to sign his second and third personal goals for the Democratic Republic of Congo, confirming the historic victory that gave the Panthers their first victory in the history of their participation in the World Cup.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) raised its tally to four points, occupying third place in the standings of Group XI, officially guaranteeing its presence in the top eight teams that finished third, thus booking a ticket to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in its history.
The Congolese national team will face a tough test in the next round, when they face England, the leader of Group XII, in an expected match that will be held on July 1, in a match in which the "Cheetahs" seek to continue writing history in the 2026 World Cup.
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