Despite the sea of white he found himself in, one lone DR Congo supporter made no mystery of his emotions after his side stunned England with an early goal in their World Cup Round of 32 tie.
The goal came inside the opening ten minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Chancel Mbemba flicked a ball over the top and Brian Cipenga darted in behind to finish past Jordan Pickford at his near post.
It silenced most of the ground. But not everyone — and the footage doing the rounds afterwards is worth a watch, if you’re not an England fan anyway.
DR Congo fan celebrates World Cup goal alone in the England end
Perched on the steps in the middle of a packed England section, one DR Congo fan leapt to his feet and waved his flag after the goal went in, seemingly the only person celebrating for rows in every direction.
The clip, posted to X shows him jumping and swinging the flag while a wall of disgruntled England supporters sit stony-faced around him.
It is the kind of scene the expanded, US-hosted tournament was always likely to produce — mixed crowds, few segregated ends, and moments like this when the underdog strikes first.
Congo have surprised everyone with their performances at this tournament.
This is only their second World Cup, and their first since 1974, when they competed as Zaire. That they arrived in the knockout rounds at all owes plenty to an aggressive recruitment drive aimed at dual-national players raised in Europe.
This World Cup is the most competitive we have seen in years, and Congo’s display against England is evidence of that, regardless of the result.
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