Colombia not settling for two group-stage victories, says matchwinner Munoz

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Colombia are not satisfied with their start to the World Cup, despite picking up two victories to secure their place in the round of 32.

That is the view of Daniel Munoz, who scored Colombia’s goal in a 1-0 win over DR Congo at Estadio Guadalajara.

Munoz’s deflected effort in the 76th minute secured all three points for Colombia, who have won their first two group stage matches at a World Cup for the second time in seven all-time appearances, also doing so in 2014 when they recorded their best finish (quarter-final).

Colombia sit top of Group K, two points ahead of Portugal, who they will face with top spot up for grabs on MD3.

“We played with intensity and aggression, and we stuck to our style,” said Munoz, who became the fourth player to score in each of his first two World Cup appearances for Colombia, following Adolfo Valencia (1994), James Rodriguez (who scored in his first five) and Yerry Mina (who scored in his first three).

“This achievement belongs to the entire team; we earned these three points as a team and for all the fans who came out to support us.

“This victory gives us a morale boost. We don’t want to settle for this.”

Colombia attempted 20 shots, their highest tally in a single World Cup match since recording 21 shots against Tunisia in 1998.

James Rodriguez was particularly impressive, creating five chances, the most by any Colombian player in a World Cup match since Carlos Valderrama (five) v. England in 1998.

“I want to thank this team for all their effort,” said coach Nestor Lorenzo. 

“They followed the game plan to a T. We deserved a better result; toward the end, our opponent made things difficult for us, but we were the deserved winners.”

Colombia were dominant from the off, and it could have been a very different scoreline if not for Congo DR goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who became the first player to make five saves within the opening 20 minutes of a World Cup match since Jamaica’s Warren Barrett against Argentina in 1998.

“It was a difficult match for us,” said DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre.

“We played against a very good team. They were superior. Our players, as usual, fought on the pitch to get a result, but we couldn’t manage. Portugal and Colombia give us a lot of experience that we’re faced with.”

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