World Cup: Carrascal's Colombia draw with Portugal, top group | OneFootball

Colombia managed to finish top of the standings, beating favorites Portugal

Already qualified in advance, Colombia and Portugal faced off this Saturday (27) with first place in Group K of the World Cup on the line. However, anyone who thought it would be a ‘meaningless’ match was mistaken. At a fast pace, both teams produced beautiful plays, but they could not get past a 0-0 draw at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Flamengo’s Jorge Carrascal did not come off the bench. Therefore, the midfielder still has not played a single minute in the World Cup. That is because the player was also not used in Colombia’s wins over Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the first two rounds.

HOW DID THE MATCH GO?

Even with temperatures around 35 degrees, the teams were flying on the field. In a true end-to-end battle, both sides created excellent scoring chances. On one side, Camilo Vargas made great saves for Colombia. On the other, Diogo Costa kept Portugal from finding the net in the first half.

In the second half, the match remained at a high tempo. So much so that James Rodríguez and Arias got tired and were substituted. Even with two fewer midfielders on the pitch, Carrascal was not used. In other words, the Flamengo player seems to be out of favor with Colombia.

SO WHAT WILL THE MATCHUPS BE FOR FLAMENGO’S PLAYERS?

With the end of the group stage, the matchups for the teams featuring Flamengo players are now set. Brazil will face Japan on Monday (29) at 2:00 p.m. (Brasília time) in Houston. The five-time world champion squad includes Danilo, Alex Sandro, Léo Pereira, and Lucas Paquetá.

Meanwhile, Ecuador, with Gonzalo Plata, will take on one of the host nations, Mexico. The clash is scheduled for Tuesday (30) at 10:00 p.m. (Brasília time) at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Finally, Jorge Carrascal’s Colombia will try to book a place in the round of 16 against Ghana on Friday (03) in Kansas City, United States.

The fourth national team with a Flamengo player, Uruguay, has been eliminated. After draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, added to the defeat against Colombia, the team of Arrascaeta, Varela, and De La Cruz finished with just two points in third place and crashed out early. As a result, the trio of Mengão players is free to enjoy ten days of vacation, according to reporting by Mônica Alves of Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.