DR Congo Stuns Egypt In AFCON Upset After Penalty Shootout Thriller

In a remarkable turn of events, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) witnessed a breathtaking upset as DR Congo emerged victorious over Egypt in a thrilling penalty shootout, after a tense 1-1 draw during regular play.

This sensational triumph propels DR Congo into the quarter-finals, while Egypt’s reign as champions abruptly concludes in a stunning manner, SportXparte reports.

Egypt, the seven-time champions, were eliminated from the AFCON tournament after a penalty shootout loss of 8-7 against DR Congo. Unfortunately,

Egypt was without their key player, Mohamed Salah, who was injured. The winning penalty kick was converted by goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi in San-Pedro after Mohamed Abou Gabal’s kick hit the bar and flew over.

The intense match ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time, with Meschack Elia scoring for DR Congo in the 37th minute and Mostafa Mohamed equalizing for Egypt in first-half added time from a penalty.

Salah sustained his injury during a group match against Ghana and had to return to his club, Liverpool. It was stated that he would only be able to rejoin the tournament if Egypt made it to the final.

DR Congo will now face Guinea, who secured a last-minute 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea earlier on Sunday, in Abidjan next Friday for a chance to reach the semi-finals.

Egypt and DR Congo, despite their previous success in the Cup of Nations tournaments, both failed to secure a victory in the group stage held in the Ivory Coast this month.

Instead, they finished as runners-up to Cape Verde and Morocco in their respective mini-leagues. Interestingly, both teams had identical records of three draws and three points.

However, the difference between them lies in the number of goals scored. Egypt managed to find the net six times, with three of those goals coming from Mohamed, who plays in France. On the other hand, DR Congo only scored twice.

This encounter marked the fifth time these two countries faced each other in the AFCON, with Egypt emerging victorious three times and suffering one defeat prior to their showdown in the west Ivorian coastal city.