MIAMI GARDENS — The match that cost everyone an arm and a leg to see was decided by a big toe.
It was a toe everyone was talking about as they left Hard Rock Stadium, incredulous that the narrowest of offside infractions in the dying seconds nullified an apparent goal by Colombia, which had to settle for a scoreless draw against Portugal as the World Cup’s group stage came to a close.
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Both teams are on to the knockout round, but not before a sellout crowd overwhelmingly backing the Colombians broke into a frenzy in stoppage time when a header by defender Davinson Sanchez caused a net to bulge for the first time. The party continued for several seconds with everyone oblivious to the linesman’s flag fluttering in the humid air.
But there was still hope for the yellow-clad fans. It was clear this was going to be a close call requiring the automated system to split hairs — or, in this case, feet. Ultimately, the screen shot appeared on the video boards in the stadium proving the big toe on Sanchez’s right boot was over critical line.
Rather than booing, the Colombian fans could only accept the call, letting out a collective “OOOOOH” at how futbol, and not just football, is a game of inches. Or inch.
“I’ll ask him to go see the podiatrist next time,” Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo joked.
If this match had to end without a goal, that drama took a step toward justifying the price of admission. This was the match out of all 104 in this World Cup that had the greatest demand, with more than five million ticket requests and four-figure asking prices on the secondary market to reflect it. These were two world powers that, until Saturday night, June 27, 2026, had somehow never met on the pitch.
If fans are lucky, it won’t be another century before they meet again.
In the strictest bottom-line terms, the result wasn’t overly helpful or damaging to either side. Both teams were moving on to the knockout stages regardless. By finishing first in Group K, Colombia picked up an extra day of rest and plays a third-place opponent, Ghana, on July 3 in Kansas City.
Second-place Portugal has a second-place opponent, Croatia, on July 2 in Toronto in a match that has deep meaning for the Portuguese. It misses by one day the one-year anniversary of the car crash that killed Portugal and Liverpool star Diogo Jota and brother Andre Silva. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it’s not just the July 3 anniversary that remains painful for his team.
“Every day is difficult,” Martinez said. “When you are training, there are always moments when Diogo Jota comes back to our memories. The anniversary is going to be especially difficult. I would say it’s a little bit of a celebration — we need to honor Diogo Jota. Everything we do started with him. His is probably the sign and the light of the biggest stimulation we have. We want to win the World Cup especially for him.”
The Colombia-Portugal match occurred just shy of the two-year anniversary of a night South Florida would like to forget. Colombia was competing in the Copa America tournament and thousands of Colombian fans without tickets crashed the Hard Rock gates, resulting in injuries, arrests and damage to the stadium. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross expressed concern that FIFA had assigned Colombia to play a World Cup match back at the facility, but this time, it appeared everything went smoothly, largely because of tight security that prevented anyone without a ticket from encroaching on stadium property.
This was a night South Florida’s Colombian population of about 240,000 had waited for, turning the Hard Rock stands into a sea of yellow jerseys. They belted out Colombia’s national anthem with such gusto that their voices nearly drowned out the music over the public-address system. If you closed your eyes, you might have thought you were in Bogota.
“I don’t think the fans would have the passion they had today if we were boring,” Lorenzo said.
Although the match started slowly, seemingly crying out for a goal, it steadily picked up steam. Colombia created opportunities on the counterattack; Portugal created them because it’s Portugal. Midfielder Vitinha controlled the tempo with his usual pinpoint distribution. Cristiano Ronaldo had Colombian fans on edge midway through the second half with a shot that rolled just wide, but it didn’t matter. In a preview of sorts for what was to come much later, offside nullified the attempt.
In the end, the difference maker was Portugal’s Diogo Costa, who faced and stopped six shots, many with enough venom to beat a lesser goalkeeper.
“I’d like to say that for us and Colombia, this was a fantastic match,” Martinez said. “We’re talking about two very well, fine-tuned teams. Both teams were trying to get to the box, trying to score, and this was very valuable to us.”
It also was very valuable to FIFA and anyone else selling tickets.
And to anyone who’d waited years to see these two teams finally meet.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: World Cup: Colombia goal disallowed (barely) in 0-0 draw vs. Portugal
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
