EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI 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 long-time 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 Rodrguez made his 11th men's World Cup appearance, the most ever by a Colombian, surpassing Freddy Rincn and Carlos Valderrama (10 each).The match played at the home stadium of the NFL's Miami Dolphins took place in front of a sellout crowd of 64,478 that included Valderrama, FIFA president Gianni Infantino -- who sat in a suite with FBI director Kash Patel and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, NBA player Jimmy Butler, actor Matt Damon and former NFL receiver Chad Johnson.Multiple watch parties held across South Florida to accommodate those who couldn't secure tickets to the high-demand match, including one with thousands in attendance at the home arena of the NHL's Florida Panthers.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
