Yerry Mina is still waiting to make his World Cup debut, after making three appearances (and scoring as many goals) in the 2018 edition in Russia. The Cagliari defender, the only Rossoblu player playing in the tournament between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will be involved in the third and final match of Group K tonight at 1:30 AM : Colombia faces Portugal in Miami.
The Cafeteros arrive with a perfect record: they beat Fabio Cannavaro's Uzbekistan 3-1 on matchday one and Congo 1-0 on matchday two , with Mina on the bench in both matches. A draw would secure them first place in the group. Portugal, on the other hand, opened with a 1-1 draw against Congo and then defeated Uzbekistan 5-0. A win would see them leapfrog Colombia, and a draw would also see them qualify regardless of the result of the other group match, Congo-Uzbekistan, which is being played at the same time.
Mina could have a chance tonight in place of Jhon Lucumí: this is because the Bologna defender (wanted by Juventus on the transfer market) is already on a booking and would miss the round of 32 with another yellow card. "The yellow cards are worrying; against Congo, some were exaggerated," said coach Néstor Lorenzo at a press conference, criticizing Italian referee Maurizio Mariani (who has since been assigned to referee Brazil vs. Japan on Monday in the round of 32).
