Muñoz settles it but Mpasi steals the show: Colombia edge brave DR Congo to qualify

A late Daniel Muñoz goal gave Colombia a 1-0 win over DR Congo in Guadalajara to seal their place in the last 32, but the night belonged to DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, whose eight saves kept the Léopards alive until the end.

Colombia booked their place in the World Cup knockouts, but they had to work for it, and they had one man to thank for making it so hard. DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi produced a goalkeeping masterclass in Guadalajara, and only a late Daniel Muñoz goal finally beat him to give Colombia a 1-0 win and top spot in Group K for now.

Colombia dominated from the first whistle, two-thirds of the ball and twenty shots, with James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz probing for openings. Time and again they were denied by Mpasi, who made eight saves, several of them outstanding, to keep the Léopards level.

It might have been different early on. Muñoz thought he had broken through in the opening minutes, only for a VAR review to rule the goal out for offside. Colombia had to start their search again.

The breakthrough finally came on seventy-six minutes. Crystal Palace wing-back Muñoz, a constant menace down the right all night, arrived to finish off Colombia's relentless pressure and beat Mpasi at last. The relief around the stadium was plain to see.

DR Congo had ridden their luck but never stopped fighting. Cédric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa led the line with heart, but service was scarce against a Colombia side that controlled almost everything. For long spells, Mpasi was the only thing standing between his team and a heavier defeat.

The win, Colombia's second from two, sends them into the last 32 after their opening victory over Uzbekistan, and sets up a final-round meeting with Portugal to decide who tops the group. For DR Congo, hope survives: after their draw with Portugal they must beat Uzbekistan in their final game and hope the maths falls their way.

For Kenya and the continent, this was a proud kind of defeat. Africa got behind the Léopards, and in Mpasi they found a hero even in a loss, a goalkeeper who would not be beaten until the very end. Mpasi alichezea Afrika nzima leo: Mpasi played for the whole of Africa today. DR Congo go down swinging, and their fate is still in their own hands. Our Africa round-one verdict flagged the Congolese as a side with real fight, and they showed every bit of it.