Colombia Cruise Into Round of 32 After Daniel Munoz Strike Sinks DR Congo in Guadalajara

Colombia Cruise Into Round of 32 After Daniel Munoz Strike Sinks DR Congo in Guadalajara

Colombia dominated proceedings from the opening whistle but were frustrated by a resilient DR Congo side and their outstanding goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. The Congolese, who had held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in their opening match, showed their defensive organisation again, frustrating Colombia for 76 minutes until a moment of fortune decided the contest . Daniel Munoz, who also scored in Colombia's 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, saw his shot deflected off Congolese defender Steve Kapuadi, wrong-footing the otherwise excellent Mpasi and rolling into the net.

Colombia had dominated the first half with eight shots in the opening 20 minutes, but Mpasi was in inspired form, saving efforts from Jhon Arias, James Rodriguez, and Gustavo Puerta. Munoz had already had a goal ruled out for offside after bundling in a rebound, while Luis Diaz saw a deflected effort go wide . The frustration mounted for the South Americans as DR Congo tightened their defensive shape after the hydration break, with Yoane Wissa coming close to capitalising on a loose back pass.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with Mpasi saving again from Diaz before Munoz's deflected strike finally broke the deadlock . Luis Diaz then thought he had scored twice in quick succession, but both goals were ruled out, the first for a push on the defender, the second for offside.

Juan Quintero forced another save from Mpasi before Colombian goalkeeper Camila Vargas made his first save in stoppage time, turning away Nathanael Mbuku's long-range strike and smothering Chancel Mbemba's header from a corner. Munoz, who was named player of the match, said the victory gave Colombia a "morale boost" but they were not settling for that . "We played with intensity and aggression, and we stuck to our style," he said .

"This achievement belongs to the entire team, we earned these three points as a team and for all the fans who came out to support us." Colombia have now secured their place in the Round of 32 with a perfect six points and will face Portugal in their final group match to decide who finishes top of Group K. DR Congo must now beat Uzbekistan in their final game to keep their knockout hopes alive .