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Colombia secured a place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 1-0 win over DR Congo on Tuesday, courtesy of a second-half strike from defender Daniel Munoz.
The result in Guadalajara moved Colombia to the top of Group K on six points, two ahead of Portugal, with one round of group matches remaining.
Portugal had earlier thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice, after being held to a draw by DR Congo in their opening game.
Backed by a dominant crowd of Colombian supporters, the South Americans controlled much of the contest and created several chances in the opening stages.
Munoz missed an early opportunity before seeing another effort ruled out for offside, while James Rodriguez tested goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi with a powerful strike. Mpasi was repeatedly called into action, producing saves to deny Johan Mojica, Luis Diaz and other Colombian attackers.
Despite Colombia’s dominance, DR Congo gradually settled into the match and managed to keep the score level for long periods. Mpasi remained a key figure, making another impressive stop from Diaz early in the second half.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 76th minute when Munoz made amends for his earlier misses, with his effort taking a deflection and beating the Congolese goalkeeper.
DR Congo pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages and nearly found one in stoppage time, but Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas reacted quickly to turn away a powerful shot from Nathanael Mbuku.
The victory secured Colombia’s progression to the last 32 after missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Colombia will face Portugal in their final group match in Miami on Saturday, while DR Congo take on Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
Although still without a point, DR Congo retain a slim chance of reaching the knockout stage in their first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country competed as Zaire.
