Colombia vs Congo DR 1:0 — 8 Saves Kept It Level Until the 76th

Colombia beat Congo DR 1-0 in a match where the hosts clearly outproduced their opponent — 20 shots to 7 with 64% possession — but managed to convert that dominance into only a single goal.

Daniel Munoz won it for the hosts in the 76th minute, finishing off one of the many chances Colombia created over the course of a match played almost entirely against a deep, well-organized defense.

Eight saves from the Congo DR keeper — a heroic rearguard performance

Lionel Mpasi-Nzau made 8 saves during the match — without his interventions the scoreline could have been considerably heavier.

Given the hosts' 20 shots and 11 attempts from inside the box against just 3 for the visitors.

The passing gap underlines the hosts' control

541 passes for Colombia against 299 for Congo DR — Nestor Lorenzo's side dictated the tempo for almost the entire match.

But ran into a well-organized 5-3-2 defensive setup that refused to break.

Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez couldn't find an earlier breakthrough

With an attacking line of this quality, featuring Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez.

Converting just one of 20 shots says more about the quality of Congo DR's defending than any weakness in the hosts' attack.

Colombia stays top of Group K

Colombia entered the match top of Group K on 7 points with a knockout spot secured.

While Congo DR sat third on 4 points, also already through to the playoffs — the narrow home win didn't fundamentally change the group picture.

Seven offsides for the hosts — a stat born of aggressive pressing

Colombia were caught offside a full 7 times during the match.

A number that reflects Congo DR's high defensive line and the hosts' repeated attempts to break in behind it at pace.

Congo DR's defense fought until the whistle

6 blocked shots for the hosts against 2 for the visitors — Congo DR's defense threw itself in front of everything it could. Three bookings right at the end of the match, including cards for Lerma and Pickel in stoppage time, reflect the physical toll of a long defensive shift.

A goals-prevented reading of 0.39 for both sides, alongside the gap between Mpasi-Nzau's 8 saves and just a single one from Vargas at the other end, underlines that this match was decided by the quality and timing of the visitors' goalkeeping rather than by raw volume.

Sebastien Desabre set up his side to survive

Congo DR's coach deployed a 5-3-2 shape, packing the center of defense — a strategy that very nearly worked.

Limiting Colombia to a single goal despite the hosts' overwhelming territorial edge for almost the entire match.

Colombia holds top spot in the group through sustained pressure

A win built on this volume of chances confirms Lorenzo's side as the favorite in Group K heading into the knockout stage.

Where breaking down compact defenses will demand exactly this kind of persistence in the final third.