Congo qualifies for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years

The Democratic Republic of the Congo reserved its place in the World Cup finals for the first time in 52 years, after defeating Jamaica 1-0 after extra time, on Tuesday, in a continental playoff held at Akron Stadium near Guadalajara.

Burnley’s English defender Axel Tuanzebe scored the only goal of the match in the 100th minute, after following up on a corner kick from close range, giving the “Cheetahs” a pass to the finals, where they will face Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group Eleven this summer.

The goal crowned a dramatic qualification campaign for Congo, during which it overthrew the continent’s giants, Nigeria and Cameroon, before reaching the Mexico playoff.

The team’s last participation dates back to the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, when it played in the tournament on behalf of Zaire and was defeated by Scotland, Yugoslavia and Brazil.

Congo striker Cédric Bakambu said, “We are happy, we are very happy. It was a difficult match today. At this moment, I don’t think we fully understand that we have qualified, but when we return to Kinshasa the atmosphere will be crazy, and I can’t wait to see all the Congolese people there. Congratulations to everyone, to my teammates and to all Congolese people around the world.”

Regular time ended in a goalless draw, despite French coach Sebastien Dusaber’s players dominating the ball, against tight Jamaican defensive steadfastness.

The Congolese team looked dangerous from the beginning, and Bakambu scored a goal after only five minutes from a pass from Meshack Iliya, before it was ruled out for offside. Bakambu (34 years old) threatened goalkeeper Andre Blake again with an easy header.

Despite Congo’s possession of the ball in front of a Jamaican defensive group, there were no dangerous opportunities, so Elia settled for a shot into the side netting, then a strong attempt that was blocked by Blake at the near post.

The Jamaican’s most dangerous opportunity came from Casey Palmer, when his shot was deflected after hitting a defender.

The scene was repeated in the second half, and Blake stood in front of Bakambu’s spiral shot (47).

In the last moments, the referee canceled a second goal by Bakambu after Theo Bongunda was offside, then a long shot by substitute Edo Kayembe went past the post.

The relief came in extra time through Tuanzebe, who followed the corner into the goal, sealing Congo’s historic return to the World Cup.

Congolese captain Chanel Mbemba said, “We will celebrate the qualification, but we will continue working. We know that we will face great teams that appear in the World Cup every four years. We will remain humble, maintain our focus and keep working. It will not be easy, but we will do everything in our power to make our fans and our people proud.”