Colombia secured their passage to the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over DR Congo in Guadalajara, Mexico. Daniel Muñoz, the Crystal Palace full-back, scored the decisive goal in the 76th minute, his second of the tournament, after a Juan Fernando Quintero pass found him surging into the area. The shot took a deflection off defender Steve Kapuadi, wrong-footing goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who had until then repelled everything Colombia threw at him.

From the opening whistle, the South Americans imposed themselves, controlling possession and creating a flurry of chances. Mpasi, however, produced a remarkable sequence of saves. Within the first 20 minutes, he had already made five stops — a statistic not recorded at a World Cup since Jamaica's Warren Barrett against Argentina in 1998. He denied James Rodríguez from distance, blocked a Luis Díaz effort with his legs, and reacted sharply to keep out Jhon Arias. Colombia had a Muñoz goal disallowed for offside in the sixth minute, and their frustration grew as the Congolese defence, marshalled by Chancel Mbemba, held firm.

The pattern continued after the interval. Díaz was again thwarted by Mpasi early in the second half, and the rebound fell to Arias, who fired wide. Néstor Lorenzo introduced Quintero and Jhon Córdoba just before the hour, and the change proved decisive. Quintero's threaded pass released Muñoz, whose left-footed strike deflected in. Colombia thought they had extended the lead twice through Díaz, but both efforts were ruled out — one for a foul, the other for offside. In stoppage time, Camilo Vargas was finally called into action, diving to his left to push away a fierce Nathanael Mbuku drive, preserving the clean sheet.

The result lifted Colombia to six points from two Group K matches, guaranteeing a top-two finish and a place in the knockout rounds. Portugal, who thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier in the day with a Cristiano Ronaldo double, sit second on four points. DR Congo remain on one point, still with a chance of progressing if they beat Uzbekistan in their final match and other results align. Colombia will face Portugal in Miami on Saturday to decide group supremacy, while DR Congo meet Uzbekistan in Atlanta.

Viewed from Bogotá, the victory was a testament to Colombian resilience and tactical patience. African outlets highlighted Mpasi's heroics, noting that DR Congo, in their first World Cup appearance since 1974 as Zaire, had pushed a more fancied opponent to the limit. European analysts observed that Colombia's wastefulness in front of goal could be punished by sharper opponents in the knockout phase. For now, however, the Cafeteros have maintained their perfect start and carry momentum into the clash with Portugal.