Filozofe Mabete, the Forest Green Rovers (English fifth tier) centre-back, scored for DR Congo’s U23 Leopards cubs, who beat Nigeria 2-0 in Lubumbashi in the first leg of the second round of qualifying for the U23 AFCON 2027.
TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi hosted the first leg of the second round of qualifying for the U23 AFCON 2027. DR Congo saw off Nigeria, according to Sportblits, and take a two-goal lead into the return leg, where nothing is settled yet.
The match was decided by two goals. On 15 minutes, Nigeria’s captain and goalkeeper Samuel James misjudged a cross and put through his own net. Twenty-one minutes later, Filozofe Mabete doubled the lead from a set piece on 36 minutes, according to actualite.cd.
Mabete, the defender who scores
The scorer of the night is no striker: Mabete is a centre-back. He had already scored against Mauritania in the previous round, according to actualite.cd.
Head coach Guy Bukasa, quoted by actualite.cd, said: “We did what was needed, which is to win without conceding against a team of a very high standard.”
A Nigeria side that entered the campaign late
Nigeria, exempt from the first round, were playing their first match of the campaign, SummitPost News reports. The team was led by Bright Osehai Ozebagbe and Deniran Ortega, in the absence of Eric Chelle, according to the same source.
Nigeria had not played a U23 AFCON since 2019, when they went out in the group stage, Sportblits recalls. They did, however, win the 2015 edition.
The return leg in Ikenne
DR Congo had already come through a tricky scenario in the previous round: beaten 1-0 in the first leg by Mauritania, they won 2-0 in the return, according to Sportblits.
The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November 2026 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, according to Sportblits. The Leopards cubs will have to defend their two-goal lead there. The U23 AFCON 2027, hosted in Egypt, will serve as qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.