Group K finished its Group Stage matches on Saturday night, with Portugal and Colombia drawing 0-0 and DR Congo beating Uzbekistan 3-1.
Colombia finished first in the group, followed by Portugal, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan. DR Congo has advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in history!
Colombia entered the tournament as a dark horse but now looks like a contender. Meanwhile, Portugal entered as a contender but has seemed to fall off a bit. These two sides played to a scoreless draw in Miami, and the result was enough for Colombia to win the group.
The first half was pretty even. Colombia controlled possession with 55% - 45%, and had three shots on target while Portugal had two. Colombia looked more dangerous in transition, while Portugal's midfield looked more controlled and composed.
There were a few scoring chances for both sides, but Camilo Vargas and Diogo Costa denied several quality chances.
The biggest moment in this match came in the second half. Davison Sanchez converted a header from a short-played corner in the 90+1', but VAR ruled the goal offside. Colombia nearly had a 1-0 win, but it wasn't meant to be. Sanchez was offside by a toe, but it was still enough to be called back.
DR Congo made history by advancing to the knockout stage for the first time ever in a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan got off to a quick start with Eldor Shomurodov scoring in the 10th minute. A mix-up on Congo's defense allowed Shomurdov to chip the goalkeeper for an early 1-0 lead. Even though Uzbekistan was in the lead, that goal would be their only shot on target in the first half.
DR Congo started to take control in the second half. Chance after chance finally went their way in the 68th minute when Yoanse Wissa converted on a penalty to bring the match level. Ten minutes later, substitute Fiston Mayele put the Congo ahead after the ball deflected off an Uzbekistan player and found its way to Mayele, who flicked the ball into the net. Mayele was just barely onside for this one to count.
Uzbekistan was throwing players forward in search of a late equalizer, but Congo would score once more before the final whistle. It was Wissa again in the 90+1' to punch Congo's ticket to the knockout stage.
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Group K |
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Portugal |
DR Congo |
Uzbekistan |
Colombia, Portugal, and DR Congo will play in the Round of 32. DR Congo will take on England at 12:00 pm EDT on Wednesday in Atlanta; Portugal will take on Croatia at 7:00 pm EDT on Thursday in Toronto; and Colombia will take on Ghana at 9:30 pm EDT on Friday in Kansas City.
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South Africa |
Sunday, |
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
Fox, Fox One, Telemundo, Peacock |
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