Colombia beats DR Congo 1-0, advances to round of 32 early

Daniel Muñoz’s 76th-minute finish carried Colombia into the round of 32 with a match to spare, and the reaction around Néstor Lorenzo’s squad suggested a team moving from survival mode to contender mode. Lorenzo congratulated his players after the 1-0 win over the Republic of the Congo in Zapopan, while Muñoz’s form, with two goals in the tournament, gave Colombia a sharper edge heading into the knockout phase.

The decisive moment at Estadio Guadalajara came after Juan Quintero started the move and Muñoz sent a shot that took a deflection before beating goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. It was enough to settle a tight match in which Colombia controlled possession and created more chances, but Mpasi repeatedly kept the score level with stops against James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz and Jhon Arias.

The result pushed Colombia to six points from two matches and locked up qualification to the next round with one group game left. The Selección Colombia had opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, and the early advance leaves it well placed to finish top of Group K. Colombia will close group play against Portugal, which beat Uzbekistan 5-0 the same day and now shapes the final order of the group.

For the Republic of the Congo, the loss left the side on one point, but the path is still open. Its 1-1 draw with Portugal in the debut had shown enough defensive discipline to keep belief alive, and it now needs a result against Uzbekistan to stay in the tournament. The stakes make the final group match a must-deliver moment for a team that has already shown it can frustrate stronger opposition.

The matchup also carried historical weight for Colombia. It was an inedito against an African opponent in this World Cup for Lorenzo, and the Colombian press noted it was the fifth time the national team had faced an African side in a World Cup. That background only sharpened the significance of the win: Colombia did not just survive another group game, it handled one of the more physical and unfamiliar tests on its schedule and walked away with an early knockout berth.