Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0 on Tuesday night (23), in Guadalajara, and qualified for the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup.
Daniel Muñoz scored the goal that sealed the South Americans’ triumph at the Akron Stadium, in Mexico. This is the 30-year-old winger’s second goal in this edition of the tournament, as he also scored in , in his debut game.
The result placed the Colombians at the top of Group K, with six points won, and guaranteed them in the round of 16 stage of the competition. Coach Néstor Lorenzo’s team seeks to secure first place next Saturday (27), at 8:30 pm (Brasília time), against , in Miami.
The Congolese, on the other hand, are in third place in the group, with one point, and can still progress in the group. The African country faces the already eliminated Uzbekistan on the same date and time, in Atlanta.
About the match
In the first minute of the game, RD Congo arrived with midfielder Edo Kayembe, who took a risk from outside the area and sent it out. Shortly afterwards, Colombia was threatened by an attempt by midfielder Jhon Arias, who stopped at goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. On the rebound, full-back Daniel Muñoz wasted a clear scoring opportunity.
After six minutes, Muñoz himself found the net, but the referee ruled the shot offside. Already at 11, midfielder James Rodríguez scored from a long distance and forced Mpasi to make a great save. Afterwards, Arias found a beautiful pass for Luis Díaz, who cut the mark and hit the opponent’s goalkeeper for another intervention.
The Colombians continued to focus on shots from outside the area and saw Mpasi save an attempt from midfielder Gustavo Puerta. After the hydration break, the Congolese managed to balance the match, but still without creating clear chances to take the score off the scoreboard.
After the break, Colombia returned to pressure their rival in search of their goal. After five minutes, Luis Díaz received a free kick in the area and shot to a great save by Mpasi. In the remainder, Arias sent it to the left of the opponent’s goal.
The Colombians only got scared again at the 31-minute mark. Midfielder Juan Quintero tried to pass to center forward Jhon Córdoba, who protected it and the ball fell to Daniel Muñoz. He finished first time, the attempt was deflected by the defense and only ended up in the back of the net.
Soon after, Díaz scored twice, but both shots were canceled by referee Maurizio Mariani: one for lack of attack and the other for offside.
