DR Congo win to book round of 32 spot as Colombia, Portugal advance
Colombia led by Luis Diaz and Portugal captained by veteran striker Cristiano Ronaldo played out a goalless draw in a final Group K game played at the magnificent Miami Stadium in the USA.
The match in which no goal was recorded turned out to be an end-to-end, high-tempo spectacle with both teams advancing to the Round of 32.
There was VAR drama on the 91st minute of the game when Colombia thought they had taken the lead in the game when Davidson Sánchez headed home a cross but the goal was disallowed following a lengthy check.
Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa emerged as the player of the match after racking up six stellar saves to absorb Colombia’s unrelenting attack during the entire duration of the game.
In the other Group K game, Africa’s representative DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for first time with their maiden tournament win.
The game played at the Atlanta Stadium saw Uzbekistan take an early lead in the 10th minute of the match when captain Eldor Shomurodov lobbed the ball past a helpless DR Congo goalkeeper.
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In the second half of the game, DR Congo started like a house on fire scoring three goals in 22 minutes.
Newcastle striker, Yoane Wissa was the star of the show converting a penalty to equalize before scoring his second goal of the game with a stoppage-time curling strike.
DR Congo ensured that all three points were secured in the 78th minute of the game when Fiston Mayele scored to put the final scores at 3-1.
Key match statistics: Colombia Vs Portugal
Possession: Colombia 55%- Portugal 45%
Total Shots: Colombia 24- Portugal 13
Shots On Target: Colombia 6- Portugal 2
Passing Accuracy: Colombia 91%-Portugal 93%
Fouls: Colombia 12- Portugal 6
Corners: Colombia 5- Portugal 2
Key match statistics: DR Congo Vs Uzbekistan
Possession: DR Congo 58% – 42% Uzbekistan
Total Shots: DR Congo 19 – 3 Uzbekistan
Shots on Target: DR Congo 4 – 1 Uzbekistan
Passing Accuracy: DR Congo 82% – 76% Uzbekistan
