Colombia 1 vs 0 Dr Congo - Goalkeeper Mpasi Spares DR Congo Blushes as Colombia Reach Last 32

Goalkeeper Mpasi spared DR Congo’s blushes as Colombia romped their way into the last 32 with a victory in Guadalajara.

A dominant performance from the South Americans, whose attacking talent was again on full display, saw them find the back of the net four times.

However, it was only Muñoz’s effort in the 76th minute that counted towards the scoresheet, with two offsides and a foul ruling out the other goals.

A standout effort from DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi kept the result as respectable as it was, making eight saves throughout the match.

DR Congo would have come into this game with confidence, holding out for a 1-1 draw with group favourites Portugal. They may have thought an upset could be on the cards.

On a decent run of form, the Central African nation made it all the way to the AFCON quarter-finals in January.

However, they were no match for the Colombians who, ranked 34 places above them, dominated throughout.

The first half kicked off as a temperamental affair. A long-range attempted thunderbolt from Edo Kayembe early on showed some of the threat that DR Congo had.

However, it was Muñoz who had the first of many real goalscoring opportunities, slamming the ball into the side netting in front of an open goal.

And then came his second. The header, initially saved by Mpasi, was tapped in on the follow-up but was cancelled out for offside.

It was the key players again who starred for Los Cafeteros. Luis Díaz was always a threat going forward, while James Rodríguez demonstrated with a stellar long-shot effort that his star power was still there.

This was the overall story of the first half: fantastic Colombian goalscoring opportunities, only to be denied by the brick wall of Mpasi.

The Le Havre goalkeeper performed valiantly throughout the match.

His standout moment came in the second half, making a fantastic one-on-one save against Luis Díaz in the 50th minute.

However, it was the full-back Daniel Muñoz who broke the deadlock. His strike in the 76th minute was not the prettiest, but the deflected shot was enough to give Colombia the lead.

The 30-year-old has become a goalscoring weapon. The full-back now has two goals from two matches. His constant involvement reminds everyone why he was voted Crystal Palace Player of the Year.

Luis Díaz thought he had made it 2-0 in the 80th minute, only to be ruled out for offside again.

But DR Congo did not give up hope. A last-chance scuffle in the box was not enough to secure the equaliser.

Man of the Match

Daniel Muñoz

The full-back was a constant threat in attack, acting as a fourth forward. His runs in behind show why he might be one of the players to watch this tournament.