Zimbabwe 1-2 DR Congo: Wissa and Moutoussamy Sink Warriors' Homecoming
- 🔑 DR Congo beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in Harare on Monday, September 28, 2026, in Matchday 2 of Group E in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Yoane Wissa and Samuel Moutoussamy scoring before half-time and Marshall Munetsi’s stoppage-time reply arriving too late for a point.
- The match marked Zimbabwe’s first competitive home fixture at the National Sports Stadium in roughly five years; the Confederation of African Football had barred the Harare venue from hosting internationals in 2020 over infrastructure concerns and only cleared it again for competitive use in 2026.
- DR Congo now leads Group E with 6 points from two wins, while Zimbabwe sits second on 3 points after splitting its first two matches. Equatorial Guinea also has 3 points after beating Sierra Leone 1-0 on the same day, and winless Sierra Leone sits last in the four-team group.
- Yoane Wissa opened the scoring in the 30th minute after Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold a cross, then set up Samuel Moutoussamy for a second goal in first-half stoppage time. Marshall Munetsi’s 90+3 finish pulled one back for Zimbabwe, but too late to force an equalizer.
- Group E has no automatic host berth, so the top two of four teams after six matchdays qualify directly for the 2027 tournament. Four matchdays remain, with the next window opening November 9, 2026. No betting odds, point spreads, or win-probability figures appear anywhere in this recap.
DR Congo beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in Harare on Monday, September 28, 2026, with two first-half goals proving decisive despite a late Zimbabwean rally. The result came in Matchday 2 of Group E in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, played at the National Sports Stadium — hosting a competitive Zimbabwe fixture for the first time in roughly five years. Here’s how the match unfolded, and what it means for the group standings heading toward November.
What was the final score?
DR Congo won 2-1, scoring twice inside the first 45 minutes and then holding on through a nervy finish. Yoane Wissa opened the scoring in the 30th minute, Samuel Moutoussamy doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, and Marshall Munetsi pulled one back for Zimbabwe deep into second-half stoppage time — too late to force an equalizer. The match was played in front of a capacity crowd at the 60,000-seat National Sports Stadium on the outskirts of Harare.
| Min | Scorer | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 30' | Yoane Wissa | DR Congo |
| 45+2' | Samuel Moutoussamy | DR Congo |
| 90+3' | Marshall Munetsi | Zimbabwe |
How did the three goals happen?
Wissa capitalized on a defensive mistake, then turned provider for DR Congo’s second before Munetsi’s late header gave Zimbabwe a small measure of consolation. Wissa’s opener came after Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold onto an incoming cross, leaving the striker to poke the loose ball into an empty net. Moments before halftime, Wissa turned creator, threading a pass through DR Congo’s build-up play that sent Moutoussamy clear to finish from inside the box and make it 2-0. Zimbabwe improved markedly after the break and were rewarded when Munetsi converted in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, but the comeback effort — echoing Zimbabwe’s own 2-goal deficit turnaround in their previous qualifier — ran out of time.
Why was this match such a big deal for Zimbabwe?
The fixture marked Zimbabwe’s first competitive home match at the National Sports Stadium in roughly five years, ending a lengthy exile forced by a venue ban. The Confederation of African Football barred the stadium from hosting international fixtures in 2020 over infrastructure shortfalls — including seating, turnstiles, dressing rooms, and pitch and drainage standards — which meant the Warriors had to play home qualifiers in South Africa in the interim. CAF ccleared the stadium for competitive use again in 2026 after renovation work, and the venue’s return was significant enough that it drew a full house for the visit of a DR Congo side that came in as one of Group E’s form teams.
What does the result mean for the Group E table?
DR Congo now leads Group E outright with 6 points from two wins, while Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea are tied for second on 3 points each. Elsewhere on Matchday 2, Equatorial Guinea beat winless Sierra Leone 1-0, meaning three of the group’s four teams have now won exactly once through two rounds — only DR Congo has won both its matches so far.
| Team | Pts | GD | W-L |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 6 | +3 | 2-0 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 1-1 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 3 | -1 | 1-1 |
| Sierra Leone | 0 | -2 | 0-2 |
Zimbabwe holds second place over Equatorial Guinea on goal difference for now, but with four matchdays still to play, that ordering is far from settled.
What’s next in Group E qualifying?
Four matchdays remain in Group E, with the next round of qualifiers set for a window opening November 9, 2026. Group E has no automatic berth reserved for a host nation, so the top two of the four teams after six total matchdays will qualify directly for the 2027 tournament — meaning every remaining match carries real weight for all four sides, including Sierra Leone, which still has a long way back after two defeats. Specific November fixtures for the group had not been finalized as of this writing.
Monday’s result was a tough way for Zimbabwe to christen a stadium the Warriors had waited five years to play in again, but a spirited second half — and a group table still very much unsettled after just two matchdays — leaves the return to Harare with plenty still to build on.