Martinez and Portugal have their sights set on Colombia — not the next stages of the World Cup
Roberto Martinez says Portugal are focused on their final Group K game against Colombia at the Miami Stadium and are not thinking about who they will face in the knockout rounds.
Roberto Martinez is clear: Portugal's full attention is on the final Group K match against Colombia — not on who they will face in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
Portugal and Colombia will battle it out at the Miami Stadium for the honor of first place in the group. Nestor Lorenzo's team has secured a spot in the last-32 after winning their first two matches. If Colombia don't lose, they'll stay top and face one of the best third-placed teams from Group D, E, I or L — and currently that odds point to Croatia.
But for Portugal, a win is needed to wrest first place from their rival. Portugal come into the challenge with a lot of confidence after they beat tournament debutants Uzbekistan 5-0 in the previous game.
In World Cup history, Portugal have lost just twice in their last 17 group games (W9 D6): 0-4 against Germany in MD1 in 2014 and 1-2 against Korea Republic in MD3 in 2022. Colombia, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last three World Cup matches against UEFA teams, and are among seven teams in the tournament to win their first two games this year.
"Our focus is to try to win the game and not think about the next opponent," Martinez said Friday. "If you want to succeed in a tournament, you have to beat any opponent. In a tournament like the World Cup, there is no single correct path or position. The important thing is that we play at our best, and that can only be done by winning."
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/87/e2/roberto-martinez_1m7e8nhtz1u0x1xobr49hzx048.png?t=180999807" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Martinez added that it is important to build on what the team showed against Uzbekistan and to continue to improve some aspects of the game. He also mentioned that the match against Colombia is a good opportunity to check the level of Portugal and continue the work of the staff and the players.
The coach also has a warning: Colombia will not be easy. "Colombia is a complete team," said Martinez. "They believe in what they do. The coach has vision and consistency. It's not just about who plays, but the overall plan of the team. They have players in the midfield like Juan Fernando Quintero and James Rodriguez, and there are keys to quick transition like Luis Diaz and Luis Suárez."
If Portugal fail to secure first place, they will finish as runners-up and face the second-placed team in Group L — currently Ghana ahead of their final game against Croatia. Portugal will also have a lot to regret if they don't improve their group results, especially since they had an opening draw against DR Congo before proving their quality against Uzbekistan.
On a personal note, Cristiano Ronaldo contributed two goals in the win over Uzbekistan, becoming the first man in history to score in six different World Cup tournaments. He is also looking to score in back-to-back World Cup games for the first time since 2018's MD2.
At the end, Martinez insisted that Portugal's goal is to show quality and prove that they are Portugal again: "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. We keep improving. We are not a team that loses strength, but a team that keeps improving. We have to show our quality and be Portugal again."
