Colombia Secures Last 32 Spot After Late Deflection Goal Against DR Congo

As anybody who’s ever encountered Mexican traffic jams will know, there are times when it feels you’ll never get through the impasse. Colombia must have felt the same about the DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who made an outrageous string of saves that looked like they might earn his side an unlikely point. The Le Havre keeper was finally beaten – but only by a deflection that gave Colombia their second successive win a secured their passage to the last 32.

It was Daniel Muñoz who got the goal, the Crystal Palace right-back’s second in as many games, as he cut in from the right with half the DRC side seemingly distracted by a penalty appeal at the edge of the box. His shot flicked off Steve Kapuadi, wrongfooting Mpasi to beat him at his near post. Thereafter Mpasi passed his duties in thwarting Colombia to the linesman, who twice ruled out extravagant finishes from Luis Díaz. A draw in their final game, against Portugal, would be enough for Colombia to top the group and secure a tie against a best third-place team in Kansas City. Second place will play the runner-up in England’s group in Toronto.

Colombian fans may have predominated, with more than 90% of the stadium bedecked in yellow, but the most striking fan was from DR Congo. Michel Kuka Mboladinga, who looks like Patrice Lumumba, wears brightly coloured suits in national colours and remains perfectly still during matches, was present, standing on a stool at the front of the stand, right arm raised. He had missed DRC’s opening game in Houston, the draw against Portugal, despite his US visa having seemingly been granted but he arrived, accompanied by a bodyguard wearing leopard skin, to be greeted by huge cheers from Colombian fans in the car park.

As against Uzbekistan in their first game, the yellow-clad hordes had to wait for the breakthrough, but this time it was not for want of chances. With Colombia completely in control in midfield in the early stages, it felt that a goal had to come. First Mpasi denied Jhon Arias and Muñoz fired into the side-netting. Then the keeper dived full-length to his left to deflect a James Rodríguez shot wide, shovelled away a Johan Mojica long-ranger and blocked a Díaz shot. When he was beaten, Muñoz bundling the ball in, it was only after he’d made a spectacular initial block, and it turned out the Crystal Palace full-back was fractionally offside. And all of that was in the first 20 minutes.

But the hydration break, as in so many games, broke the momentum. Sébastien Desabre may look like a morally questionable Scottish solicitor from an ITV early evening drama but the French coach has not got DR Congo to their first World Cup in 52 years by chance, or even through murky deals with the procurator fiscal. He made a couple of tweaks, tightened up the midfield, and suddenly, just like the approach road to the Estadio Jalisco, the way through was no longer clear.

Five minutes into the second half, Mpasi saved DRC again, denying Dìaz with his left foot before Arías put the rebound wide. The reaction of the former Wolves midfielder, crashing to earth with head in hands, suggested just how frustrated Colombia were becoming. Juan Quintero is 33 now and very much in the category of being for emergency use only; his introduction for Rodríguez just before the hour told its own story. Low blocks, as England and Croatia had found earlier in the day, are not easy to penetrate. If a lock needs unpicking, though, it’s handy to have an experienced specialist locksmith to bring on. This is not a Colombia side that lacks creativity.

DRC’s back five, though, defended superbly, protected by the midfield three with Yoane Wissa linking to a lone centre-forward. Colombia could have had the game won in the first 20 minutes but thereafter DRC were relatively untroubled. Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki came on at half-time for Ngal’ayel Mukau on the right side of the midfield shield, his prodigious engine ensuring there was no danger of DRC running out of legs. They had had the first shot of the game, Edo Kayembe flashing a shot just wide in the first minute but thereafter it was all about retreating behind the barricades.

And it very nearly worked. They very nearly did hold out. But the risk for any side who looks only to soak up punishment is a stroke of ill fortune such as did befall them. Kinshasa, the capital of DRC, may have been where Muhammad Ali pulled off his rope-a-dope against George Foreman but this was a side just clinging on; there was no capacity suddenly to launch a counter-attack against an exhausted opponent, even if Nathanaël Mbuku did draw Camilo Vargas into a late save with a long-range drive. But still, there was something magnificent in their defiance, and a win over Uzbekistan in their final game would almost certainly carry them through.