DR Congo
Today's Talking Points
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1DR Congo's World Cup ended in the Round of 32 against England — they actually took the lead, before Harry Kane scored twice late on to send them out. Losing to England happens to a lot of teams; taking the lead against them first is the part DR Congo can be proud of.
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2Just being there was already history: this was DR Congo's first World Cup in 52 years, and they became the first Congolese side ever to reach the knockout stage.
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3The breakout story of their whole run was Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa, who scored three goals in the group stage — including DR Congo's first ever World Cup goal, a stoppage-time equaliser against Portugal that turned a defeat into a point.
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4They backed that up with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, Wissa on the scoresheet twice more either side of a goal from Mayele — enough to send DR Congo through as one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament.
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5A 52-year wait, a first ever knockout appearance, and a new star in Yoane Wissa to build the next cycle around — DR Congo's tournament ended in defeat, but it's hard to find much of a downside in how they got there.
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Top thing to say down the pub
DR Congo hadn't been to a World Cup in 52 years, then Yoane Wissa scored their first ever goal in one, in stoppage time, to save a point against Portugal. However it ends, that's a story worth knowing.
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Avoid saying
"Congo" on its own, or mixing them up with Congo-Brazzaville — this is DR Congo, a different country, and getting that wrong in front of an actual fan undoes any goodwill you built up mentioning the 52-year gap.