Colombia vs DR Congo at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico on Tuesday night produced one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s most hard-fought victories, as a Daniel Munoz deflected strike in the 76th minute finally broke Lionel Mpasi’s extraordinary resistance and booked Colombia’s place in the Round of 32. Los Cafeteros dominated from start to finish, registering 20 shots across 90 minutes, but were repeatedly denied by one of the tournament’s standout goalkeeping performances before the Crystal Palace right back’s effort squeezed past Mpasi off a wicked deflection.
Colombia vs DR Congo Final Score and Match Stats
Final Score: Colombia 1, DR Congo 0
Date: June 24, 2026 | Venue: Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Competition: 2026 FIFA World Cup, Group K, Matchday 2
Goal: Daniel Munoz (COL) — 76th minute, deflected shot from right side of penalty area
Key stats: Colombia registered 20 total shots, 15 of which came before halftime alone, with nine of their 10 outfield players attempting efforts in the opening 45 minutes. DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi made eight saves across the 90 minutes. Colombia had two goals disallowed for offside, both from Luis Diaz. Colombia move to six points from two matches and are confirmed Group K winners heading into their final group match against Portugal. DR Congo remain third with one point and need a win against Uzbekistan in their final match to keep knockout stage hopes alive.
Daniel Munoz’s 76th-Minute Winner: The Goal That Broke DR Congo
After 75 minutes of growing frustration and increasingly desperate attempts to find a way past Mpasi, the breakthrough arrived through a combination of persistence and fortune. Following good hold-up play on the edge of the box by Jhon Cordoba, Munoz let fly from the right side of the penalty area and the shot took a significant deflection that completely wrong-footed Mpasi, diverting inside the goalkeeper’s near post before he could readjust.
The Crystal Palace defender had already scored in Colombia’s Group K opener against Uzbekistan, making this his second goal of the tournament in as many matches. Munoz celebrated the goal alongside Luis Diaz and Juan Quintero, the Guadalajara crowd behind them recognizing that after an evening of relentless pressure without reward, the deflection was a moment of cruel fortune for DR Congo but entirely merited for a Colombia side that had created chance after chance.
Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo was direct in his post-match assessment: “I want to thank the team for all their effort. Against teams like this, you have to find the spaces between the lines; if you stick too rigidly to a set play, they’ll counter-attack by exploiting those spaces. We’re very happy. We’re a team that takes the initiative, and we never give up on that approach.”
Lionel Mpasi: The Goalkeeper Who Almost Stole the Night
The story of the match for the first 75 minutes was not Colombia’s dominance. It was the 31-year-old Le Havre goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who delivered a performance of remarkable quality and composure that had Colombia’s squad, coaching staff, and supporters increasingly unsure whether the night would end in the frustration of a draw.
Mpasi made eight saves across the full match, but his most extraordinary spell came in the opening 20 minutes when he denied five Colombian efforts, the most saves in the opening 20 minutes of a World Cup match since Jamaica’s Warren Barrett kept out Argentina in France 1998. James Rodriguez forced him into action with a powerful 11th-minute strike. Mpasi then repelled Jhon Arias and got his foot to a sharp Luis Diaz effort in the 18th minute as Colombia found the striker controlling a chipped pass inside the penalty area, turning smartly, and firing goalward.
The France-born goalkeeper, who plays his club football in Ligue 2, became one of the night’s talking points across global football coverage. Whether DR Congo can beat Uzbekistan and advance from Group K may well depend on whether he can reproduce the same form in their final match.
James Rodriguez Makes World Cup History in Guadalajara
Amid the drama surrounding Munoz’s goal and Mpasi’s heroics, a quieter milestone was recorded in the first half: James Rodriguez made his 10th World Cup appearance, equaling the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, two of the country’s most revered football figures.
Rodriguez, now 35 years old, has been one of the defining figures of Colombian football for more than a decade. His appearance alongside the next generation of Los Cafeteros, represented by Diaz, Arias, and Munoz, illustrated both the depth of Colombia’s current squad and the experience Rodriguez brings to a group that combines established talent with younger attacking energy. He forced Mpasi into an early save with a powerful 11th-minute strike that set the tempo for a first half that belonged almost entirely to Colombia despite the scoreline remaining level.
Luis Diaz’s Disallowed Goal and Colombia’s Near-Misses
The night’s most dramatic moment after the Munoz goal came in the 81st minute, when Luis Diaz cut inside from the left and thundered a strike into the far corner of Mpasi’s net. The stadium rose in anticipation of a two-goal cushion, before the offside flag cut the celebration short. Officials confirmed the call was correct, leaving Diaz with two goals ruled out on the night and a match statline that understated significantly how close Colombia came to putting the match beyond any doubt well before Munoz’s deflected winner.
Earlier in the match, Munoz had sent a follow-up effort into the side netting after Mpasi had initially denied Arias. Colombia’s attacking depth throughout the evening, with contributions from Diaz, Rodriguez, Arias, Cordoba, and Munoz himself, reflected the offensive richness that has made them one of the tournament’s more watchable sides through two group matches. DR Congo threatened sporadically through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu, and Yoane Wissa, but lacked the clinical finishing to capitalize on the moments when Colombia’s defensive shape left gaps. Wissa came closest in the 73rd minute, when his shot from Simon Banza’s assist was blocked, before Colombia struck three minutes later through Munoz.
Group K Standings: Colombia Top, DR Congo Still Alive
Colombia’ vs DR Congo win confirms them as Group K winners with six points from two matches, heading into their final group fixture against Portugal, who defeated Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday. It is a fixture with genuine last-32 implications beyond Colombia’s own already-confirmed qualification, as Portugal will be competing for the group’s second automatic slot if DR Congo cannot beat Uzbekistan in the parallel fixture.
DR Congo remain on one point after their opening 1-1 draw with Portugal. Their path to the knockout stage remains mathematically open but practically demanding: they need to beat Uzbekistan in their final group match, and results across Group K must fall in their favor. Congo DR coach Sebastien Desabre was honest about the scale of the task: “It was a difficult match for us. We played against a very good team. They were superior. We’ll need to take risks. A draw will not be enough.”
What’s Next: Colombia Face Portugal, DR Congo Must Beat Uzbekistan
Colombia’s final group match against Portugal is one of the tournament’s most anticipated remaining group stage fixtures, bringing together two of the competition’s more experienced and attack-minded squads, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal fresh from their 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan. For Colombia, the match carries limited qualification stakes given their already-confirmed status, but carries significant seeding implications heading into the Round of 32 draw.
For DR Congo, the Uzbekistan match is straightforward in requirement if not in execution: win and advance. Desabre’s acknowledgment that his side will need to take risks reflects the position of a team that knows they must be more productive in front of goal than they managed across 90 minutes against one of South America’s most organized attacking units.
3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What was the final score of Colombia vs DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup?
Colombia defeated DR Congo 1-0 in their Group K, Matchday 2 fixture at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico. Daniel Munoz scored the only goal in the 76th minute with a deflected shot from the right side of the penalty area.
- Who scored for Colombia vs DR Congo?
Daniel Munoz scored Colombia’s winning goal in the 76th minute. The Crystal Palace right back’s shot deflected off a DR Congo defender and wrong-footed goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. It was Munoz’s second goal of the 2026 World Cup, having also scored in Colombia’s opening 3-1 win over Uzbekistan.
- How did Lionel Mpasi perform for DR Congo against Colombia?
Lionel Mpasi delivered one of the tournament’s standout goalkeeping performances, making eight saves across the match. In the opening 20 minutes alone he made five saves, the most by any goalkeeper in that time frame in a World Cup match since Jamaica’s Warren Barrett against Argentina at France 1998.
- What World Cup record did James Rodriguez equal against DR Congo?
James Rodriguez made his 10th World Cup appearance against DR Congo, equaling the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama. Rodriguez, now 35 years old, also forced Mpasi into an early save with a powerful 11th-minute strike.
- Can DR Congo still qualify for the World Cup Round of 32 after losing to Colombia?
Yes. DR Congo remain on one point and can still advance to the knockout stage if they beat Uzbekistan in their final Group K match. A win for DR Congo, combined with the right results elsewhere in the group, would see them join Colombia in the Round of 32.
4. SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- Fox Sports: Colombia vs DR Congo Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup
- The Guardian: Daniel Munoz breaks DR Congo resistance to send Colombia into World Cup knockouts
- ESPN: Colombia 1-0 Congo DR: Munoz goal sends Colombia into knockouts
