Daniel Muñoz's 76th-minute finish settled a match Colombia largely controlled but never quite put to bed, giving Néstor Lorenzo's side six points from six in Group K and leaving Congo DR to reflect on a backs-to-the-wall display that ultimately ran out of wall.
The statistics told a straightforward story of Colombian dominance. They completed 473 of 540 passes at 88 per cent, fashioned 20 shots across the 90 minutes, and kept the ball for nearly two thirds of the game. Congo DR's five-three-two was designed to frustrate, and for stretches it did precisely that. Lionel Mpasi Nzau made eight saves, which is either a sign of remarkable resilience or a reflection of the sustained punishment Colombia inflicted on his goal depending on which bench you occupied. On balance, it was both.
The first half brought territory without breakthrough. James Rodríguez and Jhon Arias circulated the ball across the top of Congo DR's defensive block, looking for seams that refused to open. The Congolese lines held their shape through Colombia's nine first-half shots, each repelled by a combination of organised defending and Mpasi Nzau's reflexes. Yoane Wissa and Cédric Bakambu were largely isolated in attack, given little by Colombia's back four and even less by the supply from a midfield that could not consistently find them. Gustavo Puerta and Jefferson Lerma screened competently in front of Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Lucumí, and the half finished goalless in a way that felt both inevitable and slightly unjust for Colombia given the volume of possession they had accumulated.
Seven offsides across the match also pointed to a side that occasionally played itself into dead ends, eager to get in behind Congo DR's defensive line but fractionally too early on too many occasions. The expected-goals figure of 1.03 was a fair reflection: Colombia deserved to win, but Mpasi Nzau was the only reason the margin of victory was not greater.
Rodríguez and Luis Javier Suárez were both withdrawn on 58 minutes, Lorenzo deciding he needed different dimensions. Juan Fernando Quintero's introduction proved the decisive call of the evening. The veteran midfielder arrived with an eye for the unconventional, and it was his contribution that unlocked the match. On 76 minutes, Quintero found Muñoz, and the right-back finished to make it 1-0, a goal that rewarded Colombia's patience while exposing Congo DR's inability to shift the siege once Quintero had raised its tempo.
Luis Díaz was a constant presence on the left, working hard across all 90 minutes, though Mpasi Nzau denied him repeatedly. Arthur Masuaku was one of Congo DR's more willing participants before his 72nd-minute exit, carrying the ball forward whenever openings appeared, which was not often enough. Lerma and Lucumí both picked up yellow cards in a match that carried an intermittent edge without ever threatening to boil over.
For Congo DR, the arithmetic is now demanding. One point from two games, with Portugal still to come. Sebastien Desabre's team showed organisation and collective discipline, but they created next to nothing of substance: one shot on target across 90 minutes tells its own story. Wissa carried the greatest threat up front but found Sánchez and Lucumí equal to him throughout.
Colombia top Group K with maximum points and a goal difference of plus three. The harder tests may well lie ahead, but Lorenzo's side have shown they can control matches through weight of possession and tactical flexibility when it is required. Muñoz, the match-winner, had been dependable throughout at right-back, and his goal capped a controlled, if occasionally laboured, Colombian evening. Congo DR must now beat Uzbekistan and hope results conspire elsewhere. On this evidence, goals will be the problem.