Daniel Munoz scored the decisive goal as Colombia secured a place in the World Cup round of 32 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over DR Congo in their Group K clash on Tuesday.
The Colombian defender found the breakthrough in the 76th minute, firing home from the right side of the box after goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had produced a string of outstanding saves to keep the African side in the contest.
Having begun their campaign with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, Colombia controlled much of the encounter, dominating possession and creating a steady flow of scoring opportunities.
Captain James Rodriguez, making his 10th World Cup appearance to draw level with Colombian greats Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, tested Mpasi early with a fierce effort in the 11th minute.
Mpasi continued to frustrate the South Americans, denying Jhon Arias and Luis Diaz, whose clever turn and shot in the 18th minute were brilliantly stopped by the goalkeeper’s outstretched foot.
DR Congo, encouraged by their opening 1-1 draw against Portugal, posed occasional threats through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa, but struggled to convert their chances.
By the interval, Colombia had attempted 15 shots, six of them on target, with nearly every outfield player contributing an effort on goal.
Among the DR Congo supporters was renowned fan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, popularly known as the “living statue”, who attended his first match of the tournament after missing the opener against Portugal due to Ebola-related quarantine restrictions.
Colombia resumed their attacking approach after the restart, with Diaz forcing another save from Mpasi in the 51st minute before Arias sent the loose ball wide.
DR Congo nearly stunned their opponents in the 73rd minute when Wissa connected with Simon Banza’s pass, but his effort was blocked.
Three minutes later, Colombia finally made their pressure count as Munoz broke the deadlock with the match-winning strike.
Diaz appeared to have added a second goal late on, curling the ball into the top corner, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The result lifted Colombia to six points from two matches, guaranteeing qualification for the knockout stage ahead of their final group fixture against Portugal, who thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier in the day.
DR Congo remain on one point and must secure a positive result against Uzbekistan in their final group match to maintain hopes of advancing.
