Colombia advances in World Cup, Daniel Muñoz shines again

Colombia secured its place in the next round at Estadio Guadalajara on June 24, and Daniel Muñoz kept driving the story of a side that has turned Group K into a statement. Néstor Lorenzo’s team arrived with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan already in hand, and that early momentum made the meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo a test of nerve as much as tactics.

Muñoz opened Colombia’s tournament with the first goal against Uzbekistan, finishing a move started by Luis Díaz, and Díaz later added to the win as Colombia took a 3-1 result and early control of Group K. That opening match mattered beyond the scoreline because FIFA had framed the group as a demanding one, with Colombia, RD Congo, Portugal and Uzbekistan all fighting for places in the knockout phase.

Lorenzo’s handling of the squad helps explain why Colombia has looked so composed. He named 26 players for the World Cup, and more than 60 percent of that group had no previous World Cup experience. Even so, Colombia’s performance in the opener suggested that the coach has managed to turn inexperience into energy rather than anxiety, a useful sign for a team trying to navigate a tournament it has entered for only the seventh time and for the first time since missing Qatar 2022.

The broader outline also favors Colombia. Lorenzo worked as José Pekerman’s assistant at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, and he took over the national team in June 2022 with a clear idea of bringing Colombia as high as possible. The result against Uzbekistan gave that project immediate credibility, and Muñoz’s continued rise added another layer to a side that now looks built for the pressure of the bracket stage.

For RD Congo, the picture is harsher but not closed. Sébastien Desabre’s team still had a path to qualification, yet it needed to turn urgency into points and make Colombia uncomfortable early, before Lorenzo’s side settled into the rhythm it found in the opener. Colombia’s final Group K match against Portugal on June 27 in Miami will decide how far that control reaches, but the first two games have already shown a Colombia that looks increasingly ready for a deeper run.