Powered by Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos) and Edo Kayembe (Watford), DR Congo beat Sierra Leone 3-1. With nine points, the Leopards sit alone at the top of Group 5 in the qualifiers for AFCON 2027.
Three matches, three wins. DR Congo beat Sierra Leone 3-1 to continue their run in Group 5 of the qualifiers for AFCON 2027, according to Altaj News. The Leopards move clear at the top of the pool.
The script took shape very early. Yoane Wissa, the Newcastle United forward, opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Samuel Moutoussamy, a midfielder at Atromitos in Greece, doubled the lead in the 35th, before Edo Kayembe, a Watford midfielder, made it 3-0 in the 58th. Samuel Bekoe pulled one back for Sierra Leone in the 83rd.
Three goals, three different clubs
Wissa set the match alight as early as the 4th minute. Moutoussamy, who plays for Atromitos in Greece, stretched the lead before the break, in the 35th. Kayembe, a Watford player, completed the win in the second half, in the 58th.
Those three scorers play for three different clubs: Newcastle United, Atromitos and Watford. Sierra Leone, for their part, found no answer and suffer a third defeat in as many matches.
Nine points and a five-point lead
In the standings, the Leopards have 9 points after three matchdays, five more than Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, who played out a 0-0 draw. Sierra Leone bring up the rear, without a single point after three defeats.
According to Altaj News, a draw or a win in the next matches would be enough to seal qualification for AFCON 2027, which will be played in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. That qualification is not yet secured, however: mathematical confirmation is still to come.
November to confirm
The next round of qualifiers is scheduled for November 2026. The Leopards can confirm their place at the top there and, if results go their way, turn their lead into a ticket to AFCON 2027.
Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, on four points each, remain the closest challengers, five points behind DR Congo. Sierra Leone, bottom of the group, will have to bounce back to avoid seeing the gap widen further.