Colombia beats DR Congo 1-0 to stay perfect and top Group J

Colombia kept its perfect World Cup run alive on Wednesday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo, moving to the top of Group J. Congo, which had shocked Portugal with a 1-1 draw in the opening round, came close to another upset but could not break through.

Colombia controlled the match and was the more dangerous side throughout, finishing with 20 shots and nine on target compared with Congo’s eight attempts and one on target. Daniel Muñoz had an early goal disallowed by VAR in the sixth minute, while Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi kept his team in the game for long stretches.

The decisive moment came in the 76th minute, when Muñoz got into the penalty area and scored from a pass by Juan Quintero. The right back became only the fifth player ever to score in his first two World Cup matches, following fellow Colombian Yerry Mina, who did it in 2018. Luis Díaz and his teammates now lead the group and will face Portugal in the final round, knowing even a draw would send them into the knockout stage as group winners.

Congo still has a path forward: a win over Uzbekistan in the last match could be enough to advance from third place. The Group J table after two rounds shows Colombia on six points, Portugal on four, Congo on one and Uzbekistan on zero. The remaining matches are scheduled for June 28, Colombia against Portugal in Miami and Congo against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.