Muñoz Strikes Late as Colombia Edge Congo DR 1–0 to Top Group K
It took 76 minutes, but Colombia found the opening they had been searching for all night. Daniel Muñoz was the man who delivered it, and his strike was enough to settle a stubborn Group K encounter and send Colombia to the top of the table with a 1–0 win over Congo DR on 24 June 2026.
This was not a night for the highlight reel. It was a night for patience, for nerve, and ultimately for a moment of quality from a defender who has quietly become one of the most reliable names in this Colombia squad. The win makes it two from two for Colombia at this World Cup, and it leaves Congo DR with plenty to ponder before their final group game.
The decisive moment
For 75 minutes, Group K threatened to give us a goalless stalemate. Congo DR had set up to frustrate, Colombia had probed without truly breaking through, and the scoreboard sat blank as the clock ticked into the final quarter of the match. Then came the breakthrough.
In the 76th minute, Muñoz arrived at exactly the right moment to put Colombia ahead. The Crystal Palace man finished it off, and the relief around the Colombian players was as visible as the celebration. It was the only goal of the game, and it proved to be the goal that decided everything — three points, top spot, and a clean sheet to go with it.
What makes the strike all the more notable is that this was Muñoz's second goal of this World Cup. For a player who lines up as a defender, contributing twice in the space of two group matches is a remarkable return, and it has turned him into one of Colombia's unlikely attacking weapons in this tournament.
How the game flowed
The pattern of the match was set early. Congo DR, knowing what was at stake after their opening-day draw with Portugal, were organised and difficult to break down. They sat compact, denied Colombia space between the lines, and looked to keep the game tight in the hope of nicking a result.
For long stretches it worked. Colombia, for all their possession and intent, could not find the killer pass or the clinical finish that would unlock the contest. The first half ended scoreless, and as the second half wore on, the question became whether Colombia's front line had the patience and precision to find a way through, or whether Congo DR would hold firm for a valuable point.
That tension is what made the 76th minute so significant. One moment of quality changed the entire complexion of the evening. Up to that point, Congo DR's plan had been executed almost to perfection. After it, they were chasing a game they had worked so hard to keep level.
To their credit, Congo DR did not collapse. But they could not find an equaliser, and Colombia saw out the closing stages to protect both the lead and the clean sheet. The final whistle confirmed a 1–0 result that flattered neither side in terms of fireworks but rewarded the team that took its one big chance.
Muñoz's impact
It is worth pausing on what Daniel Muñoz is doing at this tournament. At 30 years old and with 46 caps to his name, he is an experienced campaigner rather than a wide-eyed newcomer. Yet it is at this World Cup that he has produced perhaps the most eye-catching attacking contributions of his international career.
Two goals in two group games is the kind of haul most forwards would be delighted with, let alone a defender. Muñoz's career international record now reads three goals in total, which underlines just how much of that scoring has come on this very stage. For Colombia, having a defender who can pop up with decisive goals is an enormous bonus — it adds an extra dimension to a side that already carries plenty of threat further forward.
Beyond the goals, Muñoz's contribution is about reliability. He is the kind of player a coach trusts in the big moments, and on this evidence he is repaying that trust handsomely. When the game needed someone to step up and make the difference, it was Muñoz who answered the call.
What it means for the group table
The result reshuffles Group K in Colombia's favour. They now sit top of the group on 6 points from their two matches, having won both. Their record reads two wins, four goals scored and just one conceded, for a goal difference of plus three. The 3–1 win away to Uzbekistan in their opener, followed by this 1–0 success, gives them a perfect start.
Behind them, Portugal occupy second place on 4 points, with a superior goal difference of plus five from their six goals scored and one conceded. Portugal's record of one win and one draw keeps them firmly in contention, and the gap at the top is far from settled.
Congo DR, meanwhile, drop to third on a single point. Their tournament began with a creditable 1–1 draw against Portugal, but this defeat leaves them needing a result in their final group game to keep their hopes alive. Their goals column reads one scored and two conceded, for a goal difference of minus one. At the bottom sit Uzbekistan on zero points, having lost both of their matches so far.
The table tells the story of a group that is taking shape but is not yet decided. Colombia have given themselves the best possible platform, but the final round of fixtures still carries plenty of weight for everyone involved.
Our prediction verdict: an honest miss
Now for the part we have to be straight about. Our tip for this match was Colombia −1, carried at a confidence of 71%. The reasoning was that Colombia's front line was in form and would eventually find a way through, and that they had the quality to win by a comfortable margin rather than a single goal.
Colombia did win, and the first half of that read was correct — they did find a way through, courtesy of Muñoz. But the margin was the problem. A 1–0 result means a one-goal victory, and a −1 handicap requires a winning margin of two goals or more to cover. By winning by exactly one, Colombia landed on the wrong side of that line for us. This was a miss, plain and simple.
There is no spinning it as anything else. We backed Colombia to win by more than they did, and they did not deliver the margin we needed. The match result went our way; the bet did not. When you put a number on your confidence, you have to own the outcomes that follow, and this one did not land. We will take the lesson — that a side capable of winning is not always a side capable of winning comfortably, especially against an opponent set up to defend — into the games ahead.
The road ahead
Both teams now turn their attention to a decisive final round of group fixtures on 28 June 2026.
For Colombia, the reward for topping the group is a meeting with Portugal — a heavyweight clash that could decide first place in Group K. With 6 points already banked and a goal difference advantage to protect, Colombia are in a commanding position, but Portugal's firepower means there will be no room for complacency. It is the kind of fixture that lives up to the occasion, and Muñoz's form will give Colombia hope that they can carry their momentum into it.
For Congo DR, the equation is more urgent. They face Uzbekistan in their final match, a game they will be heavy favourites to win given Uzbekistan's two defeats so far. A victory there would lift Congo DR's points tally and keep their qualification hopes alive, depending on results elsewhere. After a draw and a narrow defeat, they know exactly what is required.
What we can say for certain is that Colombia have made the most of their opening two matches, and that Daniel Muñoz has been at the heart of it. A defender with two goals at a World Cup is the sort of storyline that tournaments are made of, and Colombia will be hoping there is more to come. For now, though, the headline is simple: a 1–0 win, top of Group K, and a job done — even if, for our tip, it was a job that finished a single goal short.
