DR Congo’s hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout stage suffered a major setback after a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in Guadalajara.
A deflected strike from Colombia wing-back Daniel Munoz in the 76th minute proved enough to separate the two teams in a closely contested Group K encounter.
The result secured Colombia’s place in the last 32 after their second consecutive win, while DR Congo dropped to third place in the group standings.
DR Congo worked hard to keep Colombia at bay for much of the game, with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi making several important saves. However, they were finally beaten when Juan Fernando Quintero’s pass found Munoz, whose shot took a slight deflection before finding the net.
The Congolese side pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages but could not break through Colombia’s defence.
The defeat means DR Congo must now beat Uzbekistan in their final group match on Saturday and hope other results go their way to keep their World Cup dream alive.
