Cristiano Ronaldo Dealt Bad News After Colombia Game

The result dramatically altered Portugal’s path through the tournament. Rather than earning a more favorable Round of 32 matchup as Group K winners, Ronaldo and company now face Croatia in the Round of 32.

If they advance, they are on course to meet Spain in the Round of 16, Belgium in the quarterfinals and France in the semifinals, making their side of the bracket one of the most difficult in the competition. 

Portugal had also been monitoring the other Group K fixture between DR Congo and Uzbekistan. DR Congo rallied for a 3-1 victory to secure one of the tournament’s best third-place berths, eliminating any possibility of Portugal benefiting from a favorable standings swing elsewhere in the group.  

Had DR Congo somehow defeated Uzbekistan by seven goals while Portugal finished third instead of second, Ronaldo’s side could have advanced as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams and landed on a completely different section of the knockout bracket. That scenario never materialized, leaving Portugal with the runner-up spot and arguably the toughest projected route to the final.

Portugal will now turn its attention to Croatia, where Ronaldo will look to extend his record-setting World Cup career and keep his country’s hopes of lifting the trophy alive. The knockout clash is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Canada.