DR Congo brush aside Zimbabwe to keep hopes of progress alive

DR Congo put themselves in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 4-0 thumping of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s problems at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo began just before kick-off when goalkeeper George Chigova was injured during the warm-up, with Elvis Chipezeze stepping in for the Group A match, which proved to be one to forget.

Chipezeze’s first meaningful moment after just four minutes was calamitous as his poor save in touching a relatively innocuous free-kick onto the crossbar allowed Jonathan Bolingi to score DR Congo’s first goal of the tournament.

Eight minutes before the interval Cedric Bakambu fired home a precise finish before adding his second and his side’s third from the penalty spot midway through the second half after being brought down by Chipezeze.

Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga completed the rout 12 minutes from time for his first international goal, and courtesy of another error from the hapless Chipezeze.

With three points from their three games, DR Congo must now wait to see if they qualify for the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides.