Congo DR Kicking Themselves After England Defeat, Says Tuanzebe

DR Congo’s World Cup dream came to a crushing end after a 2-1 defeat to England at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, despite taking an early lead and dominating the first half.

Brian Cipenga stunned the European giants with a seventh-minute opener, but Congo DR failed to capitalize on their strong start.

England captain Harry Kane punished them late, scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to seal a dramatic comeback and send England into the last 16 against Mexico.

Defender Axel Tuanzebe admitted the squad was devastated by the missed opportunity.

‘Ultimately we’re kicking ourselves more so because we felt we should’ve definitely held out the game. Probably should’ve finished it in the first half as well but it was unfortunate it was not meant to be for us today,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Coach Sébastien Desabre echoed the frustration but praised his players’ resilience.

‘We are disappointed because we believed in it. We played a good match. At the end of the match, we concede two situations and one of the best players in the world scores two goals against us. It’s a shame. You have to congratulate the players for what they showed. They gained a lot of experience playing against teams like that,’ he said.

Despite elimination, Congo DR’s campaign was historic, having reached the knockout stages as a third-placed qualifier from Group K behind Colombia and Portugal.