All posts tagged: congo fan

Denied visas, Congo get Wissa power to reach World Cup knockouts

Denied visas, Congo get Wissa power to reach World Cup knockouts

The Congo fans, attired in traditional kanzaku and leopard printed hats, perhaps knew the outcome. They had stocked adequate No 20 jerseys; maybe they knew it was Yoane Wissa’s night. Maybe, they knew if it had to be their night, it had to be Wissa’s night too. It played out to the perfect script as Wissa pinched a brace to complete a stirring comeback against Uzbekistan and Congo punched their maiden entry into the World Cup knockout stage with a 3-1 win. This incidentally was their first ever victory in the tournament as well, setting it up nicely against England in the Round of 32. And they serenaded the stands with his shirts. Largely a young crowd, none of them would remember the last time they featured in a World Cup. None of them were born in 1974; the ruling president then was barely in his teens; the republic was only 14 years old. Between the 52 years, the country endured numerous regime changes, natural disasters and epidemic outbreaks. The latest, a burst of Ebola, …