COLOMBIA finished top of Group K despite having a dramatic stoppage-time winner controversially ruled out for offside against Portugal, while DR Congo completed a spirited comeback victory over Uzbekistan to secure a historic first-ever place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Colombia’s goalless draw with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal was enough to secure first place in the group, while DR Congo rallied from behind to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualify for the Round of 32, where they will face England in Atlanta.
Although qualification for both Colombia and Portugal had already been secured before kick-off, the contest in Miami determined which side would finish top of Group K.
Portugal needed victory to leapfrog the South Americans, but Colombia, backed by thousands of yellow-shirted supporters, produced the better performance throughout the encounter.
Jhon Cordoba, handed a place in the starting line-up, almost gave Colombia a dream start when he headed over inside the opening minute before forcing an outstanding one-handed save from goalkeeper Diogo Costa moments later.
Portugal gradually found their rhythm before halftime, with veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, leading the attack once again.
Bruno Fernandes came closest for the Portuguese, only to be denied by a magnificent point-blank save from Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Ronaldo, who had declared “I’m back” after scoring twice in Portugal’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, endured another quiet outing similar to his performance in the 1-1 draw against DR Congo, remaining largely on the fringes of the contest.
After the interval, Colombia intensified the pressure as Portugal struggled to contain wave after wave of attacks.
Richard Rios and Gustavo Puerta both came close to breaking the deadlock, while Luis Suarez somehow hooked a volley over an open goal with the Portuguese defence at full stretch.
The decisive moment appeared to arrive in the 90th minute when Davinson Sanchez powered home a header beyond Diogo Costa.
However, celebrations were cut short after the assistant referee flagged for offside.
Video replays, displayed inside the stadium to loud boos from supporters, showed that the tip of the former Tottenham Hotspur defender’s right boot was marginally beyond the last defender when the cross was delivered.
Although the decision complied with the laws of the game and had no impact on the final group standings, it denied Colombia what many believed would have been a deserved victory.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney strongly criticised the decision while analysing the match.
“That’s onside. I don’t care what they’re telling me and what information they’re giving me, that is onside,” Rooney said.
“That cannot be offside. Imagine that goal was to decide if Colombia were in or out of the next round.”
Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo responded with humour, joking during his post-match press conference that he would ask Sanchez to visit a podiatrist before the team’s next game.
Despite failing to score for the first time at a World Cup since their defeat to England in 1998, Colombia comfortably secured top spot in Group K ahead of Portugal on overall performance.
In the group’s other fixture, DR Congo produced a memorable second-half comeback to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the country’s history.
Victory ensured the African side finished third in Group K and earned a mouth-watering Round of 32 meeting against England in Atlanta.
Uzbekistan made the brighter start and deservedly took the lead after capitalising on a costly defensive misunderstanding.
Eldor Shomurodov punished confusion between Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, calmly lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper after both defenders hesitated over a loose ball.
The Central Asians dominated much of the opening period with fluent attacking football as they searched for a second goal.
Ironically, it was DR Congo who came closest to equalising before halftime.
The Leopards thought they had scored through Nathanael Mbuku after a flowing move, only for the effort to be ruled out following what many felt was a harsh foul decision in their own half during the build-up.
Mbuku later flashed another effort narrowly inside the near post as DR Congo continued searching for a breakthrough.
With their World Cup future hanging in the balance, the African side emerged after the restart with renewed intensity.
Their persistence was rewarded when Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa was clumsily brought down inside the penalty area by Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Wissa calmly converted the resulting penalty to restore parity.
Momentum had now firmly swung in DR Congo’s favour.
Fiston Mayele completed the turnaround when he reacted quickest to Meschack Elia’s deflected effort, prodding the loose ball beyond goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov from close range.
Wissa then completed an outstanding individual display deep into stoppage time, drilling a superb effort into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area to seal a famous victory.
The result confirmed DR Congo’s place in the last 32, where they will face Group L winners England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
For Colombia, topping the group despite the late VAR controversy reinforced their status as one of the tournament’s in-form teams, while DR Congo’s historic qualification added another memorable chapter to Africa’s impressive campaign at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup.