Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0 to reach World Cup knockouts

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Colombia finally broke down a stubborn DR Congo side on Tuesday to secure a 1-0 win that guaranteed their place in the World Cup knockout rounds.

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Victory in Guadalajara, courtesy of a 76th-minute goal from Daniel Munoz, took them top of Group K with six points — two clear of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal with one game to go in the first round.

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Portugal, held 1-1 by DR Congo in their opening match, earlier hammered Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, with Ronaldo scoring twice.

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Colombian fans turned the Mexican stadium into a sea of yellow, vastly outnumbering supporters of the African nation.

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The South Americans, who beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their tournament opener, dominated the early stages, peppering Lionel Mpasi’s goal.

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Munoz squandered an early chance and shortly afterwards had a goal ruled out for offside while James Rodriguez unleashed a stinging shot that was brilliantly saved as Colombia kept probing.

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Mpasi made further sharp stops from Johan Mojica and Luis Diaz as the Colombians, playing with pace and invention, continued to dominate.

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But their intensity dipped after the first drinks break, allowing DR Congo to edge back into the contest and pose their own occasional threat.

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Mpasi made another stunning save with his leg from Diaz in the 50th minute to keep the game goalless.

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DR Congo briefly threatened but Crystal Palace defender Munoz made up for his first-half miss when his shot was deflected past a wrong-footed Mpasi.

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The African team did not give up and as the clock ticked past 90 minutes Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was forced to scramble to his left to turn a fierce Nathanael Mbuku shot behind.

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Colombia, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will face Portugal in Miami on Saturday, while DR Congo take on Uzbekistan in Atlanta.

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The Africans still have an outside chance of reaching the last 32 in their first appearance at the World Cup since 1974, when the country was known as Zaire.

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AFP

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