Yoane Wissa scored and assisted as the Democratic Republic of Congo beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in Harare to stay perfect in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The match at the National Sports Stadium was Zimbabwe’s first home international since November 2021. President Emmerson Mnangagwa was among the crowd filling much of the 60,000-capacity venue. But it was DR Congo who controlled most of the game, taking a two-goal lead before Zimbabwe pulled one back in stoppage time.
Wissa opened the scoring in the 30th minute after Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold a cross. The loose ball fell to Wissa, the Newcastle United striker, who poked it into the net. Before half-time, Wissa set up Samuel Moutoussamy with a clever pass, and Moutoussamy finished to double the visitors’ lead.
DR Congo dominated the first 45 minutes, reflecting the gap in rankings between the sides. Zimbabwe sit 89 places below DR Congo in the FIFA rankings. Wissa came close to scoring again in the first half when his shot beat Chipezeze but rolled just wide. After the hour mark, Wissa struck the woodwork.
Zimbabwe improved in the second half and eventually pulled a goal back in the third minute of added time. Marshall Munetsi, who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, scored his third goal in two matches for Zimbabwe. He had also netted twice in their 3-2 win against Sierra Leone the previous week.
DR Congo now top Group E with six points after two wins. They began the campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Equatorial Guinea. Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea both have three points, while Sierra Leone remain without points.
Equatorial Guinea kept their hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Sierra Leone in Yaounde, Cameroon. Loren Zuniga scored after just one minute. That match was played in Cameroon because Equatorial Guinea is one of 11 teams required to play at neutral venues due to lack of stadiums meeting international standards.
Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Central African Republic lost 1-0 to Burkina Faso in Casablanca, Morocco. Aboubacar Camara scored the only goal in the second half.
Zimbabwe will face Equatorial Guinea twice in November. DR Congo, having reached the World Cup last 32 before losing to England in 2026, remain on course to qualify for their 14th Africa Cup of Nations.
According to 3News.
