Wissa Scores Twice, Congo Reach the Last 32 for the First Time Ever — and Now They Face England
Wissa scored twice, Congo made history by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time, and now they face an England side whose defence is still raising alarm bells. Tuchel has been warned.
Fifty-two years after a traumatic World Cup debut — a 9–0 thrashing at the hands of Yugoslavia in 1974 — the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history. And the opponent in the Round of 32 is none other than England.
Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa was the standout figure in Congo's qualification. Even after Uzbekistan opened the scoring with a Shomurodov lob over goalkeeper Mpasi, Wissa equalised from the penalty spot and Congo turned the game around through Fiston Mayele, before Wissa sealed the 3–1 win in Atlanta — in front of a crowd that was predominantly Congolese, according to Sky Sports.
On the other side, England advanced to the Round of 16 as Group L winners, but without convincing. Bellingham scored and provided an assist against Panama, and Kane became England's all-time leading scorer at World Cups — yet the Three Lions' defence showed clear signs of vulnerability. The Guardian's analysis was blunt: Tuchel's side face a real risk of an early exit if they keep conceding the kind of space they have been.
Tuchel himself acknowledged the difficult road ahead but promised a response: "the bigger the game, the bigger England will be," the German manager said.
Congo are not a side to be underestimated. Under Sébastien Desabre, the Leopards went 29 games without conceding over the past four years, and their primary weapon is the counter-attack — with Wissa and Cédric Bakambu running in behind defences. That is precisely the kind of football that could expose England's defensive line.
Golmetria's model gives England an 82.2% chance of advancing to the quarter-finals — but football is not mathematics, and Congo have already proved they know how to perform under pressure.
The question that remains: will Tuchel fix the defence in time, or will the Leopards make the World Cup shake?