Daniel Muñoz helped Colombia break through Congo’s stingy defense and advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup with a 1-0 win on Tuesday night.
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Muñoz scored in the 76th minute after the Colombians had been held back by a strong performance from Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who made five difficult saves in the first 20 minutes.
Mpasi had no chance to stop Muñoz’s left-footed strike from inside the area after the ball deflected off a defender. It was Muñoz’s second goal in the tournament, and the Crystal Palace fullback was named the man of the match.
“We played with intensity and aggression, and we stuck to our style,” Muñoz said. “We earned these three points as a team and for all the fans who came out to support us. This victory gives us a morale boost. We don’t want to settle for this.”
Congo twice came close to equalizing in stoppage time, with Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas making a superb save of a long-range strike by Nathanael Mbuku and then stopping a header by Chancel Mbemba off the ensuing corner kick.
“We probably could have scored more goals, but Congo made it difficult and it was tense there until the end,” Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said. “But I think we were the deserved winners.”
Colombia star forward Luis Díaz had two goals called back in quick succession late in the second half, one for a foul in the 79th minute and another for offside in the 80th.
Congo had opened its first World Cup in 52 years with a surprising 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
Colombia has six points from two matches in Group K, two ahead of Portugal and five clear of Congo. Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0 behind a pair of goals by Ronaldo earlier Tuesday in Houston.
Colombia needs at least a draw against Portugal on Saturday to win the group. That result would also be enough to send Portugal to the knockout stage.
Colombia, which did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, is ranked 11th in the world, third best among South American teams behind Brazil and Argentina. Los Cafeteros opened with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. Congo, ranked 47th, had its World Cup preparations affected because of an Ebola outbreak.
Many Congo fans were prevented from traveling for the tournament because of restrictions tied to Ebola.
One fan who missed the first game because of quarantine requirements was Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba. He made it to the game in Guadalajara, maintaining his statue pose throughout the match.
Colombia had never been involved in a scoreless draw in 23 World Cup appearances.
The team’s play improved on Tuesday after Juan Quintero came off the bench to replace James Rodríguez, who joined Colombia greats Freddy Rincón and Carlos Valderrama with 10 World Cup appearances.
It was all Colombia at the start, with Los Cafeteros creating several scoring opportunities that Mpasi turned away.
The goalkeeper saved long-range shots by Rodríguez, Johan Mojica and Gustavo Puerta, and close-range attempts by Díaz and Muñoz. He also came up with a big stop on a close-range strike by Díaz in the 50th minute.
“Our goalkeeper was excellent today, but I’m not surprised. He’s been having excellent matches with us,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “Collectively the defense had a hard time but we did defend well overall, except for the goal. We must recognize that Colombia is superior, even though we could have equalized in the end. Now we have a decisive match ahead of us.”
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Today’s schedule
FIFA World Cup 2026 fans have six games on Wednesday, as group-stage matches continue.
Switzerland vs. Canada, a Group B match, is at 3 p.m.
Bosnia vs. Qatar, a Group B match, is at 3 p.m.
Morocco vs. Haiti, a Group C match, is at 6 p.m.
Scotland vs. Brazil, a Group C match, is at 6 p.m.
South Africa vs. South Korea, a Group A match, is at 9 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Mexico, a Group A match, is at 9 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 4 p.m. on June 24 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 6 p.m. Scotland vs. Brazil match.
Related list: Track teams advancing to Round of 32
Group-stage progress
Group L: Ghana holds England
Group K: Colombia advances to Round of 32
Group J: Argentina advances to Round of 32
Group I: France and Norway advance to Round of 32
Group H: Spain leads with 4 points
Group G: Egypt leads with 4 points
Group F: The Netherlands gets 3 points
Group E: Germany advances to Round of 32
Group D: U.S. advances to Round of 32
Group C: Brazil eliminates Haiti
Group B: Canada and Switzerland tie for 1st place
Group A: Mexico advances to Round of 32
Tournament’s schedule
June 25: There are six matches: The Group E, Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast, game is at 4 p.m. The Group E, Ecuador vs. Germany, game is at 4 p.m. The Group F, Tunisia vs. Netherlands, game is at 7 p.m. The Group F, Japan vs. Sweden, game is at 7 p.m. The Group D, Turkey vs. U.S., game is at 10 p.m. The Group D, Paraguay vs. Australia, game is at 10 p.m.
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Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
June 26: There are six matcuphes: The Group I, Norway vs. France, game is at 3 p.m. The Group I, Senegal vs. Iraq, game is at 3 p.m. The Group H, Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, game is at 8 p.m. The Group H, Uruguay vs. Spain, game is at 8 p.m. The Group G, New Zealand vs. Belgium, game is at 11 p.m. The Group G, Egypt vs. Iran, game is at 11 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
June 27: There are six matches: The Group L, Panama vs. England, game is at 5 p.m. The Group L, Croatia vs. Ghana, game is at 5 p.m. The Group K, Colombia vs. Portugal, game is at 7:30 p.m. The Group K, Congo vs. Uzbekistan, game is at 7:30 p.m. The Group J, Algeria vs. Austria, game is at 10 p.m. The Group J, Jordan vs. Argentina, game is at 10 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 7:30 p.m. on June 27. Parking is free. Broward County is offering free Express bus transportation from the arena to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens, to FIFA World Cup ticket holders.
Round of 32 begins
June 28: There is a match at 3 p.m.
Miami watch party: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
June 29: There are three matches at 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from noon to midnight at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
June 30: There are three matches at 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from noon to midnight at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
July 1: There are three matches at noon, 4 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
July 2: There are three matches at 3 p.m., 7 p.m., and 11 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
July 3: There are three matches at 2 p.m., 6 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 9 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
Round of 16 begins
July 4: There are two matches at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from noon to midnight at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
July 5: There are two matches at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens for the last day from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.
July 6: There are two matches at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
July 7: There are two matches at Noon and 4 p.m.
Quarterfinals begin
July 9: There is a quarter-final match at 4 p.m.
July 10: There is a quarter-final match at 3 p.m.
July 11: There are two quarter-final matches at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.
Semifinals begin
July 14: The fan festival is closed. There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.
July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.
Finals begin
July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.
Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.
July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.
Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.
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Track the groups
- Group A
- Group B
- Group C
- Group D
- Group E
- Group F
- Group G
- Group H
- Group I
- Group J
- Group K
- Group L
