Fayulu The Wall! DR Congo Crash Nigeria’s World Cup Dreams in Shootout Thriller
In a night soaked in tension, heartbreak, and pure drama, Timothy Fayulu was the star and wrote his name into Congolese football folklore as DR Congo stunned Nigeria 4–3 on penalties after playing 1-1 in regulation time to book their place in the FIFA Inter-Continental World Cup Playoffs.
The CAF World Cup Playoff Final in Rabat delivered everything it promised and more. Nigeria, desperate to return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 edition, struck first and early with Frank Onyeka smashing home in just the third minute to give the Super Eagles a flying start.
But DR Congo, fueled by belief and buoyed by a roaring contingent of Leopards fans, hit back in the 32nd minute when Meshach Elia coolly finished off a sweeping move to level the score.
From there, the Leopards seized control. They pushed, probed, and pressed as Nigeria gradually collapsed into a defensive shell, seemingly content to survive until the lottery of penalties. DRC, meanwhile, chased a winner with relentless purpose but couldn’t find the final touch as regulation time ended 1–1.
In the extra time, Nigeria took a more careful approach and conceded possession to DRC, sat back to hit on the counter which resulted to them hitting long balls without success.
Then came the decision that changed everything.
With just minutes left before the whistle, DRC made a bold tactical gamble by subbing on Timothy Fayulu for Mpanzu specifically for the shootout. And it proved a masterstroke.
Fayulu transformed into a giant. He watched Calvin Bassey drag his effort agonizingly wide, he stopped Simon Moses and denied Ajayi, and suddenly, the Leopards had done it.
A 4–3 victory in the shootout. A ticket to the inter-continental playoffs. A chance now more real than ever to return to the World Cup for the first time since 1978, when they competed as Zaire.
DR Congo now set their sights on March’s all-or-nothing battles in Mexico, where they will compete with six others—confirmed among them Bolivia and New Caledonia, plus either Iraq or UAE, and two sides from North America and the Caribbean.
For Nigeria, it is a crushing blow. For Fayulu and DR Congo, it is history within reach. And for football fans across Africa, it is a reminder that on nights like these, legends are born.