Colombia secured their place in the World Cup knockout stage with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, thanks to a late goal from Daniel Muñoz in Guadalajara.
The win lifted Colombia to the top of Group K on six points, two ahead of Portugal with one match remaining in the first phase. Earlier in the day, Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice, after opening their campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo.
Colombian supporters transformed the stadium into a sea of yellow, vastly outnumbering fans of the African side, and their team dominated much of the contest from the outset.
Having opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan, Colombia started brightly and created a series of chances. Daniel Munoz missed an early opportunity before seeing a goal ruled out for offside. James Rodriguez then tested goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi with a powerful effort that was brilliantly saved.
Mpasi continued to frustrate the South Americans with impressive stops from Johan Mojica and Luis Diaz as Colombia attacked with pace and creativity.
However, the intensity of their performance faded after the first drinks break, allowing the DR Congo to grow into the match and pose occasional problems of their own.
The African side remained in contention largely because of Mpasi, who produced another outstanding save in the 50th minute, using his leg to deny Diaz and keep the scores level.
Colombia eventually found the breakthrough in the 76th minute. Crystal Palace defender Munoz made amends for his earlier missed chances when his shot took a deflection and beat the wrong-footed Mpasi.
DR Congo refused to surrender and nearly snatched an equaliser in the closing stages. Deep into stoppage time, Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas reacted sharply to push away a powerful effort from Nathanael Mbuku.
The result confirms Colombia's place in the last 32 after missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
They will face Portugal in Miami on Saturday in a match that will determine top spot in Group K. DR Congo, meanwhile, will take on Uzbekistan in Atlanta and still retain a slim chance of reaching the knockout stage in their first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country competed as Zaire.
