Colombia booked their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup after defeating Democratic Republic of the Congo 1-0 in a tense Group K encounter on Tuesday.
A second-half strike from Daniel Muñoz secured the victory in Guadalajara and moved Colombia to the top of the group with six points, putting them two clear of Portugal with one first-round fixture remaining.
The result confirms Colombia’s progression to the knockout stage after missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Colombia dominate but struggle to break through
Backed by a sea of yellow inside the Mexican stadium, Colombia controlled much of the opening exchanges and repeatedly tested DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
Mr Muñoz missed an early opportunity and later had an effort ruled out for offside, while James Rodríguez unleashed a powerful strike that forced a brilliant save.
Mr Mpasi continued to frustrate the South Americans with further stops to deny Johan Mojica and Luis Díaz.
Munoz delivers the breakthrough
Colombia’s intensity dropped after the first cooling break, allowing DR Congo to settle into the game and threaten occasionally on the counterattack.
Mr Mpasi produced another standout moment early in the second half, stretching out a leg to deny Mr Díaz and keep the scores level.
But the breakthrough finally arrived in the 76th minute when Mr Muñoz, recovering from earlier missed chances, struck goalward and saw his effort deflect beyond the stranded goalkeeper.
DR Congo keep qualification hopes alive
Despite falling behind, DR Congo continued to push for an equaliser.
As the game entered stoppage time, Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was forced into decisive action to turn away a powerful attempt from Nathanael Mbuku.
The defeat leaves DR Congo with an outside chance of progressing to the last 32 in what marks their first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the nation competed as Zaire.
Colombia will now face Portugal in Miami in a decisive battle for top spot in Group K, while DR Congo take on Uzbekistan in Atlanta hoping to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Earlier in the day, Portugal defeated Uzbekistan 5-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice.
Discover more from VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
