The Zimbabwe men’s national soccer team played the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to a 1-1 draw on October 16, 2018, in a Group G qualification match for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The match took place at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, with the result allowing Zimbabwe to maintain its position at the top of the group standings.
The game was the second meeting between the two nations in four days. In the preceding fixture on October 13 in Kinshasa, Zimbabwe secured a 2-1 victory over the DRC.
During the match in Harare, Zimbabwe took the lead in the second minute when forward Knowledge Musona scored. The DRC equalized in the 24th minute following an own goal by Zimbabwean defender Teenage Hadebe. The score remained 1-1 for the remainder of the contest.
Following the draw, Zimbabwe led Group G with eight points. The DRC held the second position with five points. The other teams in the group, Congo-Brazzaville and Liberia, also played to a draw in their concurrent fixture, leaving them with four points each.
The match marked the national team’s return to the National Sports Stadium for the qualification campaign. Both teams continued their efforts to secure a spot in the 2019 AFCON tournament, which was scheduled to be held in Cameroon before being moved to Egypt. The top two teams from each group in the qualification stage advance to the final tournament.
