Mpasi writes name into Congo folklore with decisive penalty against Egypt

Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was the hero for DR Congo, scoring the winning penalty in their dramatic 8-7 shootout victory over Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mpasi held his nerve under pressure to put DR Congo into the quarter-finals after the tie finished 1-1 following extra time.

It was a familiar painful story for Egypt as they suffered more major tournament heartbreak from the penalty spot. This was the fourth straight knockout clash that has gone to extra time for the Pharaohs, after their shootout defeat in the previous AFCON final against Senegal.

DR Congo will now face Guinea in an exciting last-eight match-up. However, Egypt is left to pick up the pieces again, questioning how they keep ending up on the wrong side of these tense situations.

The match was evenly poised after Meschack Elia’s opener was cancelled out by Mostafa Mohamed’s fourth goal in four games from the penalty spot. Egypt faced an uphill battle when reduced to 10 men late on after Mohamed Hamdy’s dismissal in extra time.

In the shootout, Mpasi and his DR Congo teammates handled the pressure better. The keeper himself slammed in the winning penalty, sparking scenes of Congolese joy and Egyptian dismay.

Paul

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