Colombia beat Congo and seal early progress to the next Copa stage | OneFootball

Colombia pulled clear at the top of World Cup Group K; Flamengo’s Carrascal did not play

Colombia secured an important victory this Tuesday (23) by beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1-0. With the result, the South American side pulled clear at the top of Group K of the 2026 World Cup. Akron Stadium, in Guadalajara, hosted the match for the second round.

HOW DID THE WINNING GOAL HAPPEN?

The Colombian team pushed forward from the opening whistle. However, the Congolese defense held firm until the 30th minute of the second half. At that moment, Juan Quintero and Jhon Córdoba combined well in a precisely worked move.

Then the midfielder found full-back Daniel Muñoz, who struck the ball powerfully. It took a deflection off the opposing defense, wrong-footed the goalkeeper, and ended up in the net. Before that, Muñoz himself had celebrated a goal, but the referee ruled it out for offside after a VAR review.

DID JORGE CARRASCAL PLAY?

Flamengo midfielder Jorge Carrascal watched the entire match from the bench. Although he remained an option, the player is still part of the squad and experiencing the World Cup.

So far, Carrascal has totaled 26 minutes in this edition of the tournament. He is now waiting for new chances to show his quality to coach Néstor Lorenzo.

WHY DID THE CONGOLESE GOALKEEPER STAND OUT?

Lionel Mpasi, DR Congo’s goalkeeper, frustrated the Colombian attack for much of the match. Thanks to crucial saves, he denied dangerous efforts from James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz, and Johan Mojica.

Despite the goalkeeper’s resistance, Colombia showed complete technical superiority. The team completed 423 passes compared to just 210 by DR Congo, in addition to recording 20 shots over the 90 minutes.

WHICH MOMENTS STOOD OUT IN THE MATCH?

Forward Luis Díaz was at the center of tense moments after having two goals disallowed. First, the referee called a foul in a physical challenge. Then, the assistant caught the player offside.

On the other hand, Colombia’s defense also had to work under pressure. In the 46th minute of the second half, Camilo Vargas preserved the score by blocking a dangerous shot from Nathanael Mbuku, securing all three points for his team.

WHAT DOES THE GROUP K STANDINGS LOOK LIKE?

The win cemented Colombia’s lead and left the group in the following situation:

WHEN IS COLOMBIA’S NEXT MATCH?

Colombia returns to action in the third and final round on Saturday (27), at 8:30 p.m. Brasília time. In that match, the Colombians face Portugal in Miami to decide who finishes as the outright group leader.

That means while Carrascal’s national team takes the field already qualified, DR Congo absolutely needs a win to keep its hopes of reaching the next round alive.

Coluna do Fla, of course, keeps fans 100% informed about everything behind the scenes of matches in which Flamengo players are available. In this way, the Nação is specially invited to follow everything on social media, YouTube, and the website.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.