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Daniel Munoz helped Colombia break through Congo’s stingy defense and advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup with a 1-0 win on Tuesday night in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Munoz scored in the 76th minute after the Colombians had been held back by a strong performance from Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who made five difficult saves in the first 20 minutes.
Mpasi had no chance to stop Munoz’s left-footed strike from inside the area after the ball deflected off a defender. It was Munoz’s second goal in the tournament, and the Crystal Palace fullback was named the man of the match.
“We played with intensity and aggression, and we stuck to our style,” Munoz said. “We earned these three points as a team and for all the fans who came out to support us. This victory gives us a morale boost. We don’t want to settle for this.”
Congo twice came close to equalizing in stoppage time, with Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas making a superb save of a long-range strike by Nathanael Mbuku and then stopping a header by Chancel Mbemba off the ensuing corner kick.
“We probably could have scored more goals, but Congo made it difficult and it was tense there until the end,” Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said. “But I think we were the deserved winners.”
Colombia star forward Luis Diaz had two goals called back in quick succession late in the second half, one for a foul in the 79th minute and another for offside in the 80th.
Congo had opened its first World Cup in 52 years with a surprising 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
Colombia has six points from two matches in Group K, two ahead of Portugal and five clear of Congo. Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0 behind a pair of goals by Ronaldo earlier Tuesday in Houston.
Colombia needs at least a draw against Portugal on Saturday to win the group. That result would also be enough to send Portugal to the knockout stage.
Colombia, which did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, is ranked 11th in the world, third best among South American teams behind Brazil and Argentina. Los Cafeteros opened with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. Congo, ranked 47th, had its World Cup preparations affected because of an Ebola outbreak.
Many Congo fans were prevented from traveling for the tournament because of restrictions tied to Ebola.
One fan who missed the first game because of quarantine requirements was Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba. He made it to the game in Guadalajara, maintaining his statue pose throughout the match.
Colombia had never been involved in a scoreless draw in 23 World Cup appearances.
The team’s play improved on Tuesday after Juan Quintero came off the bench to replace James Rodriguez, who joined Colombia greats Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama with 10 World Cup appearances.
It was all Colombia at the start, with Los Cafeteros creating several scoring opportunities that Mpasi turned away.
The goalkeeper saved long-range shots by Rodriguez, Johan Mojica and Gustavo Puerta, and close-range attempts by Diaz and Munoz. He also came up with a big stop on a close-range strike by Diaz in the 50th minute.
“Our goalkeeper was excellent today, but I’m not surprised. He’s been having excellent matches with us,” Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said. “Collectively the defence had a hard time but we did defend well overall, except for the goal. We must recognize that Colombia is superior, even though we could have equalized in the end. Now we have a decisive match ahead of us.”
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