I wandered through the Art Gallery of Ontario this morning and stood before a Lawren Harris landscape — all that cold, severe geometry hiding something quietly magnificent beneath the surface, much like João Neves dictating Portugal's midfield with the unhurried confidence of a man who has already seen every move before it happens. DR Congo have honest fighters in Wissa and Banza up front, but they will spend most of this match as spectators — Rúben Dias and the Portuguese defensive structure form a wall so composed it borders on sculpture. This is a night for Ronaldo to conduct his final World Cup symphony, and I suspect the canvas will be painted generously.

Portugal's midfield engine — with João Neves pulling strings in central areas — is simply operating at a different altitude than DR Congo can handle here, and that gap cascades forward into Ronaldo and company finding space almost at will. Wan-Bissaka will work hard on the right side of that DR Congo backline, but Cancelo's overlapping runs from the left will stretch them beyond breaking point — there are open channels everywhere. DR Congo's attacking threat is almost non-existent against a Rúben Dias-anchored defense that I'd describe as a beautifully laminated structure — tight, organized, deeply satisfying to a man like me. I actually attempted a classic Toronto butter tart at my hotel kitchen last night — golden pastry, syrupy filling, and honestly a more competitive result than what I'm expecting on the pitch today.