Colombia finished the World Cup ‘s opening round as the Group K winner after playing Portugal to a scoreless draw Saturday night.

Both squads 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, which entered the expanded 48-team tournament as a favorite, will face Croatia as the Group K runner-up.

Both squads put forth lively efforts. Bruno Fernandez came close to putting Portugal ahead in the first half, but was denied by Camilo Vargas. Portugal’s Diogo Costo had six saves, more than in the team’s first two matches combined.

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 former Colombia soccer star Carlos 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.

Source: AP

--Agencies