GUADALAJARA — For 76 minutes, Lionel Mpasi stood between Colombia and the knockout stage like a man who had made a private pact with the goalposts. Then Daniel Munoz hit a shot that took a deflection, and the pact was broken.
Colombia booked their place in the Round of 32 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over DR Congo at Estadio Akron on Tuesday night, their second consecutive win in Group K. The scoreline suggests a routine victory. The reality was anything but.
Mpasi’s One-Man Stand
The match was 50 seconds old when DR Congo nearly produced the shock of the tournament. Aaron Wan-Bissaka launched a long ball forward, Edo Kayembe collected it 30 yards from goal, and his left-footed drive whistled just over Camilo Vargas’s crossbar. A warning shot, but not the last.
What followed was a Colombian siege. Johan Mojica, deployed as an attacking left-back, began tormenting the Congolese right flank. His cutback found Jhon Arias in the fourth minute, but Mpasi — already reading the script — parried the shot. The rebound fell to Munoz, who nodded it home, only for the offside flag to intervene.
The disallowed goal seemed to awaken something in Mpasi. Over the next 20 minutes, the Rodez goalkeeper produced a sequence of saves that will be replayed for years. James Rodriguez’s 30-yard curler, destined for the bottom corner, was tipped around the post. Luis Diaz’s signature cut-and-shoot from the left was smothered. Gustavo Puerta’s 25-yard thunderbolt was clawed away. By the 20-minute mark, Mpasi had made five saves — the first goalkeeper to do so in the opening 20 minutes of a World Cup match since Jamaica’s Warren Barrett against Argentina in 1998.
Colombia kept coming. Diaz, Mojica, Arias — they all took turns testing the man in the yellow jersey. The answer was always the same: no.
Lorenzo’s Gambit
Nestor Lorenzo had seen enough. On 58 minutes, the Colombia manager made a double substitution that would prove decisive. Juan Quintero replaced the tiring James Rodriguez. Jhon Cordoba came on for Luis Suarez.
The change in dynamic was subtle but significant. Where Rodriguez had tried to unlock the Congolese defence with craft, Quintero brought directness. Where Suarez had drifted, Cordoba offered a physical presence that could hold off Chancel Mbemba and Axel Tuanzebe.
Still, Mpasi remained immovable. Diaz saw a low drive blocked by the goalkeeper’s trailing leg. Mojica’s cross was acrobatically claimed. The clock ticked past 70 minutes, and the possibility of a goalless draw — a result that would have left Colombia’s qualification in the balance — began to feel real.
The Breakthrough
Then, in the 76th minute, the dam broke.
Quintero threaded a pass through the inside-right channel. It lacked pace, but Cordoba used his frame to shield the ball from the encroaching defender, allowing it to roll into the path of the overlapping Munoz. The Crystal Palace full-back, already a goalscorer in Colombia’s opening win over Uzbekistan, struck from the edge of the area. The ball clipped a Congolese defender, wrong-footing Mpasi, and nestled into the net.
The Colombian bench erupted. Munoz wheeled away toward the corner flag, arms outstretched. He had become only the fourth player in Colombia’s World Cup history to score in both of his first two matches at the tournament.
The Final Assault
Colombia were not finished. Diaz thought he had doubled the lead moments later, lifting the ball over Mpasi with exquisite composure, but the referee ruled he had fouled Mbemba in the build-up. Then Diaz was denied again — this time by an offside flag after racing clear on the left and rifling home.
Mpasi, remarkably, was still making saves. Puerta’s venomous drive from distance in the 85th minute was tipped around the post. The Congolese goalkeeper finished with nine saves and a match rating of nine out of ten. He was, by some distance, the best player on the pitch.
In stoppage time, DR Congo summoned one last surge. Substitute Nathanael Mbuku let fly from range, forcing Vargas into a rare save. It was too little, too late.
Group K Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 | Portugal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 | DR Congo | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
Colombia are through to the Round of 32. Portugal need only a draw against Colombia in the final round to join them. DR Congo must beat Uzbekistan and hope results elsewhere fall their way to advance as one of the best third-placed teams.
What’s Next
Group K concludes on June 27: Colombia vs Portugal in Miami, DR Congo vs Uzbekistan in Atlanta. Both matches kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Sources: FootballPark, FOX Sports, 11v11, Opta
