Daniel Muñoz scores and Colombia edges Congo 1-0 to reach the knockout stage at the World Cup

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Daniel Muñoz helped Colombia break through Congo's stingy defense and advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup with a 1-0 win on Tuesday night.

Muñoz scored in the 76th minute after the Colombians had been held back by a strong performance from Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who made five difficult saves in the first 20 minutes.

Mpasi had no chance to stop Muñoz's left-footed strike from inside the area after the ball deflected off a defender. It was Muñoz's second goal in the tournament, and the Crystal Palace fullback was named the man of the match.

“We played with intensity and aggression, and we stuck to our style,” Muñoz said. “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.”

Congo twice came close to equalizing in stoppage time, with Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas making a superb save of a long-range strike by Nathanael Mbuku and then stopping a header by Chancel Mbemba off the ensuing corner kick.

“We probably could have scored more goals, but Congo made it difficult and it was tense there until the end,” Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said. “But I think we were the deserved winners.”

Colombia star forward Luis Díaz had two goals called back in quick succession late in the second half, one for a foul in the 79th minute and another for offside in the 80th.

Congo had opened its first World Cup in 52 years with a surprising 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.

Colombia has six points from two matches in Group K, two ahead of Portugal and five clear of Congo. Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0 behind a pair of goals by Ronaldo earlier Tuesday in Houston.

Colombia needs at least a draw against Portugal on Saturday to win the group. That result would also be enough to send Portugal to the knockout stage.

Colombia, which did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, is ranked 11th in the world, third best among South American teams behind Brazil and Argentina. Los Cafeteros opened with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. Congo, ranked 47th, had its World Cup preparations affected because of an Ebola outbreak.

Many Congo fans were prevented from traveling for the tournament because of restrictions tied to Ebola.

One fan who missed the first game because of quarantine requirements was Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba. He made it to the game in Guadalajara, maintaining his statue pose throughout the match.

Colombia had never been involved in a scoreless draw in 23 World Cup appearances.

The team's play improved on Tuesday after Juan Quintero came off the bench to replace James Rodríguez, who joined Colombia greats Freddy Rincón and Carlos Valderrama with 10 World Cup appearances.

It was all Colombia at the start, with Los Cafeteros creating several scoring opportunities that Mpasi turned away.

The goalkeeper saved long-range shots by Rodríguez, Johan Mojica and Gustavo Puerta, and close-range attempts by Díaz and Muñoz. He also came up with a big stop on a close-range strike by Díaz in the 50th minute.

“Our goalkeeper was excellent today, but I’m not surprised. He’s been having excellent matches with us,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “Collectively the defense had a hard time but we did defend well overall, except for the goal. We must recognize that Colombia is superior, even though we could have equalized in the end. Now we have a decisive match ahead of us.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas (12) reacts after the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Colombia's Luis Diaz, left, challenges for the ball with Congo's Aaron Wan-Bissaka (2) during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Colombia's Luis Diaz (7) makes an attempt to score against Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi (1) during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Colombia's Daniel Munoz (2) reacts after a missed shot at goal during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Colombia's Daniel Munoz (2) celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Colombia's Daniel Munoz celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Shovelful by shovelful, investigators sifted through the charred remnants of a Montana home where four generations of a family were killed as they gathered for Sunday dinner, searching for evidence that might help explain what happened and why.

Alan Smith, 44, killed his grandmother, his parents, his younger sister and her children before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just after police arrived, authorities said. Multiple fires were set inside the suburban home on the outskirts of Billings. Smith had lived there before being asked to move out weeks earlier, according to accounts from police and surviving relatives.

“There’s many questions that will come from this investigation,” Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell said during a Wednesday news conference. “Some of those questions we probably won’t ever be able to answer, because all the parties that will have those answers are not here to answer them for us.”

The victims included Owen and Chloe Ireland and their stepsiblings, Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere. Owen, 13, was described by his father as the “perfect big brother” and 12-year-old Chloe’s protector. Landon, 15, planned to get his driver’s license this week. Charlotte, 12, was a lover of nature, particularly insects, said Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend.

A candlelight vigil was planned Thursday night.

The attack happened at the home of Smith's parents: Dana Smith, who was retired from the Air Force and Boeing, and Barb Smith, a retired teacher.

The Smith family was originally from the Seattle area. Brad Ireland, the father of Owen and Chloe, said that after he and Megan Ghekiere divorced six years ago, she moved to Montana with their children. That’s where she met the man who would become her second husband, Adam Ghekiere, who was at work when the shooting occurred.

Her parents soon followed to Billings, buying a house near their daughter, and her brother moved in. Police had not been called to the home before and had no previous contact with Alan Smith, the sheriff said.

Megan Ghekiere, 39, worked in healthcare, Mercer said. The eighth victim was Dana’s mother, Evelyn Smith, 92, who used a wheelchair and lived in a nearby retirement community.

Smith showed up in the neighborhood at 5:49 p.m. Sunday, O'Donnell said, and just after 6 p.m., one of the females in the home called 911. He said he couldn't confirm who made it. But Mercer identified the caller as 12-year-old Charlotte, saying she tried to save her family.

The first arriving officers confronted Smith, and he ran back inside. The officers heard gunfire and saw smoke in the home, O'Donnell said. Smith then ran into the backyard and shot himself, authorities said.

The home quickly became engulfed in flames. The neighborhood homes operate on wells, and there were no hydrants required there, so firefighters had to truck in water.

Autopsies were still being conducted, O’Donnell said.

The sheriff said police had recovered weapons from the scene but he did not describe them or say what type of gun or guns Smith used. Investigators had “some idea” of what might have prompted the shooting, but said law enforcement is focused on the crime scene for now, adding, “Some of this is the family's story to tell.”

Brad Ireland described Smith as a “hermit” who spent most of his days on the computer. “There were many red flags and many people spoke out,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “No one listened.”

Alan Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had been unable to find or hold a job, Ireland said.

At the mailboxes in the neighborhood, a makeshift memorial has grown with teddy bears, family photos, flowers, balloons and a notebook to leave messages. One classmate wrote they were “sorry that they wouldn’t see them in school this year,” O’Donnell said.

Among the items investigators found in the home were a photo album, largely intact, and a family Bible, almost entirely unscathed, O'Donnell said. Neighbors have offered law enforcement at the scene water and food as they dig through the wreckage of the fire.

“There are rays of good and sunshine that come through this,” O’Donnell said.

Billings Mayor Mike Nelson said it would be hard to find someone in the city of 120,000 who did not have some connection to the victims or feel an impact from their deaths.

“There was shock at first and now there are people who are deeply upset, and they should be. There are people who are angry, and that's OK too,” he said. “We'll come together and we'll support the family.”

Johnson reported from Seattle, Schuettler from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker in Washington, D.C., contributed.

Schuettler is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

A wedding photo taken by Miranda Murdock that shows relatives who were killed in a home outside Billings, Mont., is displayed at a memorial site on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

An investigator is seen inside the burned remains of a house where eight family members died in a weekend shooting and fire, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, near Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O'Donnell speaks during a press conference Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Billings, Mont., about the victims of a weekend shooting and house fire in which the suspect and eight family members were killed. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Investigators work at the scene Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, where a family was killed and the house burned in Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Flowers sit at a memorial honoring eight family members who were killed while gathering for dinner near the family home outside Billings, Mont., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)