A look back at the brilliant weekend of the Congolese Leopards on world fields
Players from the Democratic Republic of Congo national team, the Leopards, had a spectacular weekend on football pitches around the world. Whether or not they are selected for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mauritania and Sudan, several of them stood out with exceptional performances, scoring goals and providing assists.
In the Turkish championship, Jackson Muleka, who entered the game with his club Besiktas, managed to score a goal in the 79th minute. Unfortunately, despite this individual achievement, his team suffered a defeat against Antalyaspor. Arthur Masuaku, also a Leopards player, was unable to participate in the match due to an injury.
Chadrack Akolo, meanwhile, continued his momentum by opening the scoring in the 17th minute for his team, Stade Lausanne Ouchy. The Congolese player has already scored 3 goals this season, in all competitions.
One of the new Leopards, Simon Banza, achieved an exceptional performance in the Portuguese championship. With his team, Braga, trailing at half-time, Banza scored a hat-trick and provided an assist, contributing to his team’s resounding victory over Portimonense (6-1). With 10 goals to his name, Banza is currently the top scorer in the Portuguese championship.
Meschack Elia, who caused a sensation during the Champions League with his magnificent goal against Manchester City, shone again this weekend. The Congolese player scored a goal and provided an assist, contributing to the victory of his team, Young Boys, with a score of 4-1. The Young Boys thus temporarily regain the lead in the championship.
Other Leopards players also made their mark this weekend. Gaël Kakuta scored his 3rd goal of the season in French Ligue 2 during the match against Dunkirk. Grady Diangana may not have scored, but he provided two assists in West Brom’s win over Hull City.
Among the new arrivals in Egypt, Peter Mutumosi continues to impress with his club Zed FC. Starting five times, he contributed to his team’s victory against Zamalek, one of the big Egyptian clubs. Peter Mutumosi even received the man of the match trophy for his performance.
Finally, Glody Lilepo Makabi was voted best player of the month for October for Valenciennes FC in French D2, a great reward for this talented Congolese player.
Ultimately, this weekend was marked by the dazzling performances of Congolese players around the world. Whether on Turkish, Portuguese, Swiss, French or Egyptian grounds, the Leopards did honor to their country and showed their talent. Their individual success is a source of pride for the DRC and bodes well for the national team in future competitions.