Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Roberto Martinez said his full focus remained on Portugal’s final Group K game against Colombia rather than who his team could face in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Portugal take on Colombia at Miami Stadium in a battle for top spot in the group, with Nestor Lorenzo’s side already assured of a spot in the last 32 after two wins from two.
Should Colombia avoid defeat, they will finish top of the table and face one of the best third-placed teams from either Group D, E, I or L. As it stands, that is Croatia.
But for Portugal, they must win to snatch first place from their opponents, and they arrive into the match with confidence after thumping tournament debutants Uzbekistan 5-0.
Portugal have only lost two of their previous 17 group games at the World Cup (W9 D6), losing 0-4 to Germany on MD1 in 2014 and 1-2 to Korea Republic on MD3 in 2022.
However, they take on a Colombia side that are unbeaten in their last three World Cup matches against teams from UEFA, while they are also one of seven teams at this year’s tournament to win their opening two matches.
“The focus is to try to win the game and not think about the next opponent,” Martinez said on Friday.
“If you want to do well in the tournament, you have to beat anyone and everyone.
“In a tournament like the World Cup, there’s no single right path or position. What matters is that we play at our best, and you can only do that by winning.”
Preparados para, uma vez mais, ser Portugal #VaiDarPortugal | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Ry2IoJGIAR
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 26, 2026
The runners-up in the group will face the second-placed team in Group L, which is currently Ghana, ahead of their final match against Croatia, who are also in with a shout.
And should Portugal fall short of first place, they will be left to rue their opening draw against DR Congo, though they did respond in style last time out against Uzbekistan.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, becoming the first man in history to score at six different World Cup tournaments, while he is now aiming to score in successive matches at the World Cup for the first time since MD2 in 2018.
“We want to build on what we did in the second game and continue to improve the areas where we need to improve,” Martinez added.
“Colombia is a very important game for us to evaluate our level. We want to win, we want to give continuity to the work we are doing.
“I think the team has found a very good balance. Our performance in the second game gave us a lot of confidence and strength to believe in everything we do.
“The team is improving. We’re not a team that loses its strengths, but rather, we’re a team that keeps improving. We have to show our quality and be Portugal once again.”
But Martinez acknowledged that Colombia would be a difficult test for his team to navigate, highlighting their impressive attack ahead of what will be the first ever World Cup meeting between the two nations.
“Colombia is a complete team,” Martinez said. “They really believe in what they’re doing. The coach’s approach has a sense of continuity and clarity of ideas.
“It’s not about which players are on the field, but rather the team’s overall game plan.
“They have players like [Juan Fernando] Quintero and James Rodriguez in midfield, but also key players in transition like Luis Diaz and Luis Suarez.”
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