Wissa and DR Congo ready to shock World Cup favourites England

DR CONGO'S long road to a first Fifa World Cup appearance in 52 years has been beset by challenges that their English opponents in the round of 32 on Wednesday could scarcely imagine.

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Despite having to navigate 13 gruelling qualifiers, a pre-tournament quarantine due to an Ebola outbreak, and the structural instability caused by decades of conflict, the war-torn nation is firmly making its mark on the global stage.

"It's not easy in our country," said Yoane Wissa after his clinical two-goal haul secured his nation's first World Cup victory against Uzbekistan to setup a meeting with England, where the striker has played his club football for the past five years.

That is by no means the only English connection inside the squad. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was born in London and represented England up to under-21 level. Axel Tuanzebe also represented the Three Lions at youth level and could line up against his former schoolmate and Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford in Atlanta. Of the 26-man squad selected by the Leopards, 20 were born outside of Congo — the majority, like Wissa, in France.

The battle for the mineral-rich East Congo has sparked a decades-long conflict between a litany of armed groups, forcing thousands of families to flee and seek security across Europe.