Colombia vs Portugal will decide Group K on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the ticket scramble reached Robert Martinez long before kickoff. The Portugal coach said he bought seats for his family in November because he knew they would be hard to get.
Robert Martinez in Miami Gardens
"Well, it means I had to buy tickets for my family in November. That’s what it means. Because I knew it was going to be difficult to get tickets," Martinez said when asked Friday what facing Colombia in that environment would mean. He also pointed to Colombia’s speed and transition play, naming James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez and Luis Diaz as part of a side that "work as a team" and show "tactical clarity."
The demand fits the setting. There are hundreds of thousands of Colombian Americans in the Miami metropolitan area, and the Colombia-Portugal match was reported as the most sought-after World Cup ticket among the 72 group-stage fixtures. That makes this more than a group game with standings at stake; it is the one ticket many people wanted first.
Colombia’s edge in Group K
Colombia enters with six points from a 2-0-0 record and needs one point to secure the top spot in Group K. Portugal has four points from a 1-0-1 record and needs a win to overtake Colombia. The math is simple, but the margin is thin enough that one mistake or one clean defensive stretch can decide which team finishes first.
Colombia has also spread its scoring load across the group. Daniel Munoz has scored in both matches, including the decider in Colombia’s 1-0 win over DR Congo. Portugal’s path has been sharper at the top end: it drew 1-1 with DR Congo, then beat Uzbekistan 5-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice and becoming the first player to score a goal at six World Cups.
Cards and control
Nestor Lorenzo has one more layer to manage. Jefferson Lerma, Jhon Lucumi and Johan Mojica are carrying yellow cards, and he said, "The yellow cards are a concern, and I think the Italian referee was heavy-handed with them." He added, "I don’t want to let those yellow cards affect my mindset for a match like this."
Portugal’s threat is not limited to Ronaldo, either. Lorenzo said, "We have to be careful with Cristiano and with everyone else," and added that "Vitinha is crucial to controlling the game, while Cristiano is key to finishing plays." That leaves Colombia balancing a one-point route to first place against a Portugal team that needs the win and has the cleaner scoring finish in the group.
For anyone trying to get in, the market already moved in November. For everyone else, Saturday in Miami Gardens is the only answer that matters now: a draw keeps Colombia on top, while a Portugal win flips Group K.
