Croatia Coach Hits Back at Doubters, Lauds Modric

As Portugal and Colombia squared up for their final World Cup group game, top spot in Group K was on the line and the intensity on display from both teams matched the stakes in an entertaining but ultimately goalless draw.

Both sides approached the match with a competitive edge that produced an open, transitional game at times resembling basketball in its relentless back-and-forth rhythm.

The atmosphere in a full house at Miami Stadium tilted heavily in Colombia's favor, their supporters vastly outnumbering the Portuguese contingent as they imposed themselves, greeting every spell of Portuguese possession with a chorus of whistles that turned the stadium into a temporary home venue, as Portugal boss Roberto Martinez had predicted.

On the pitch, what stood out for Colombia was the collective understanding between the players, their movement co-ordinated without appearing rehearsed, each player creating space for the next pass.

Portugal's pressing structure was repeatedly bypassed, not through brute force but through Colombia's well-drilled timing, ⁠imagination and technical ⁠quality.

Such was the flair and confidence they played with, and there were moments when the team in yellow shirts and blue shorts evoked memories of the great Brazil sides of yesteryear.

But Portugal found greater balance after the hydration break. Bruno Fernandes forced Camilo Vargas into an excellent reflex save from close range, while Joao Felix went close as the match opened up.

The improved spell highlighted Portugal's attacking potential, even if it also exposed their vulnerabilities whenever they lost possession.

Colombia, meanwhile, lacked precision in ⁠front of goal rather than opportunities. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who was named man of the match, responded whenever required while Ruben Neves's goalline clearance prevented what appeared a certain opener.

The issue for Colombia was not chance creation but conversion and at the centre of nearly everything positive was Jhon Arias.

His energy and willingness to carry the ball forward disrupted Portugal's reshuffled midfield. Martinez's alterations struggled to contain him and Colombia's attacking fluency frequently flowed through the Palmeiras midfielder.

The withdrawal of Ruben Neves at the interval reflected Portugal's broader difficulties in controlling midfield spaces while the introduction of his namesake Joao Neves was an attempt to restore order.

"We gave Colombia the match they wanted," Martinez rued. "This was a very open match, probably more so than we would have liked."

Portugal, however, remained ⁠dangerous in transition. Cristiano ⁠Ronaldo and Felix combined for what was their clearest second-half opportunity, only for the move to end with both a missed finish and an offside flag.

Colombia responded immediately when Richard Rios failed to convert, underlining how quickly momentum shifted from one end to the other.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the evening was the refusal of either side to relent in the oppressive heat with qualification already secured.

"Facing an opponent like that, with this style of football, our fans and this heat -- it felt like we were in Barranquilla," Reuters quoted Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo as saying.

The intensity of the game never dropped even in added time when Colombian fans erupted after Davinson Sanchez headed home, only for the offside flag to go up when VAR ruled him offside by a toe.

The final whistle was met by another huge roar from the 64,478 spectators, appreciation for the effort of the teams not simply in appreciation of a spectacle but for players who had run their hearts out in stifling conditions.

Uzbekistan manager Fabio Cannavaro knows all about the beauty of the World Cup, having led Italy to success as captain, but after seeing his side lose all three games and exit the tournament, he reminded people of his warning about how brutal it can be.

Cannavaro's team came into Saturday's final Group K game on the back of defeats by Colombia and Portugal in which they conceded eight goals and his side fell to a 3-1 loss against Democratic Republic of Congo, who reached the knockout rounds.

The Italian coach was asked why he was smiling after the 5-0 defeat by Portugal and again following the DR Congo loss.

"You think I'm not nervous, ⁠I'm not angry? ⁠I don't feel good because I don't like to lose," Cannavaro told reporters.

"We made some mistakes, of course, but I cannot complain about my players. I never will complain about my players because I know and I told you, you were in the press conference and you know what I said the first day when we saw the draw.

"The ⁠World Cup is brutal. They gave everything? Yes. They are sad in the changing room. Wow, my friend, believe me. They suffer more than anyone in Uzbekistan."

Captain Eldor Shomurodov gave Uzbekistan the lead in a World Cup match for the first time but, after holding out for over an hour, they conceded three goals late on.

"In today's match the fear of winning crept in," Reuters quoted Cannavaro as saying. "We went into the dressing room at halftime and when we came back out, I already told them, we needed to keep raising the tempo and keep our defensive line ⁠higher.

"I told them ⁠how to play and what to do, because Congo were pushing their wing-backs onto our full-backs, which meant there was a lot of space to attack behind them.

"Instead, we kept coming short to receive the ball with our backs to goal, and in matches like this, 99 times out of 100 you lose the ball that way."

Cannavaro also had a message for the millions of Uzbekistan fans after their debut World Cup ended in disappointment.

"We have to understand that Uzbekistan football needs to improve," he said.

"Uzbekistan football needs to continue investing money in academies, investing money in youth players, because it's the only way to try to have Uzbekistan in the World Cup in the next 20-30 years."

Iran coach Amir ‌Ghalenoei criticized travel restrictions imposed on the team by the United States after their 1-1 draw with Egypt at the World Cup in Seattle on Friday.

Despite having to commute from Mexico to the US for their three group-stage fixtures, Iran came into the match with an outside chance of topping the group.

The US eased travel restrictions on the squad slightly for Friday's match, allowing them to arrive in the Seattle area two days early, Reuters reported.

"The host country treated us very unfairly," Ghalenoei ‌told reporters after ‌the match. "Had the host nation allowed us ‌to ⁠arrive two weeks ⁠earlier, to be more prepared ... we would have been in better shape, physically, mentally. However, they deprived us of that justice."

The restrictions come amid high tensions between Washington and Tehran following a nearly four-month war.

In March, US President Donald Trump said while Iran were welcome to participate in the tournament, he ⁠believed it was not appropriate that they ‌remain there between matches "for their own ‌life and safety."

Iran seemed to have secured an automatic spot in ‌the knockout stage when Shoja Khalilzadeh slammed a loose ball ‌into the net in stoppage time.

Iran fans in the stadium erupted in celebration but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review.

"I used to think that we were really a totally ‌oppressed team, but after these three games, I have noticed that we also have bad ⁠luck as ⁠well," he said.

"I urge FIFA: don't let hosts treat players and teams the same way in future World Cups."

After the match, Iran had to fly back to Tijuana, which delayed recovery, said Ghalenoei.

In Mexico, which is co-hosting the tournament with the US and Canada, the squad will wait to see if they advance to the knockout stage for the first time.

"The team came with a sacred objective, which was to train and play well," he said. "If God willing, we advance, I'll give them a day to have proper recovery, go to the beach maybe to mentally relax a bit."

Click here to read article