Colombia saved the best for last even though Portugal held on for a point in Miami.
In theory, the Europeans had a lot more to play for, considering they went into the game second to the Cafeteros in Group K. But it was the South Americans who spent most of the 90 minutes on the front foot and secured first place. Uncoincidentally, goalkeeper Diogo Costa was Portugal’s best player on the pitch by far.
As crazy as it may seem, Colombia delivered their best performance in the 2026 World Cup in the game they dropped points for the first time. Here’s how it all happened.
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How did Colombia dominate Portugal despite 0-0 score?
Manipulating Portugal’s man-to-man press
Like most teams do nowadays, Portugal used a man-to-man press against Colombia to try and recover possession near the goal.
And Roberto Martinez allowed his team to dismantle their defensive shape in favour of having players up front pressing high.
However, Nestor Lorenzo had a clever counter to that. He had his men pin their defenders in the attacking half all across the width of the pitch. The idea was not only to stretch Portugal’s defensive line but also create space down the middle for James to receive with his back to goal and distribute the ball.
Jhon Cordoba as a target man also helped a lot in this regard. The Cafeteros managed to connect mid-range passes and advance swiftly into the final third.
We usually see teams manipulating man-to-man press by having players move around and drag defenders out of position. Colombia did it in a different way by enlarging the distances between opponents and taking advantage of them going forward – always with pace.
Roberto Martinez’s adjustment
Realising how favourable the in-game scenarios were towards Colombia, Roberto Martinez made a change during the first hydration break.
He maintained the individual references out of possession, but had his men stay put more often rather than chasing Colombians for long distances. This meant the opponents then had more time and space to receive and work the ball, but it led to the Cafeteros having more control.
It had a positive short-term effect for Portugal, who limited Colombia’s range of actions. But it meant that the Europeans had to rely on fast-breaks to reach the final third, which came back to bite them soon after.
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Advantage in transitions
Portugal did have bright moments – especially looking to hit Colombia on the counter down the flanks. One of them even generated a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity for Bruno Fernandes, who saw his effort brilliantly denied by Camilo Vargas.
But this also led to the Cafeteros having fast breaks of their own – and they were far more dangerous in that regard.
Suddenly, both Colombia and Portugal were counter-attacking each other in consecutive sequences. It blew the game wide open and it often looked like stoppage time halfway through the first and second halves.
Jhon Cordoba had a big chance to score following a long ball and then forced a great save from Diogo Costa in a fast break, Jhon Arias saw Ruben Neves clear his attempt off the line following a counter-attack and Richard Rios should have scored from one as well.
All in all, it was a complete attacking display from Colombia who had an answer for everything Portugal tried to throw at them. Working patiently whenever they went to a mid/low block, hitting them on the counter when they pressed, causing danger from set pieces.
With James Rodriguez dictating tempo and the Cafeteros playing loose, it felt like an afternoon in Brazil in 2014.
Portugal, on the other hand, didn’t appear too bothered with how the game went and looked to be happy with second place. Roberto Martinez showed tactical flexibility both in and out of possession, but there was no rush on the pitch.
They will now face Croatia in the round of 32 while Colombia have Ghana up next.
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