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Who is DR Congo's goalkeeper?
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- Who is DR Congo's goalkeeper?
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Who is DR Congo's goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi Nzau?. | Credit: Getty Images
DR Congo's goalkeeper may have given England fans nightmares this evening, after a dominant performance between the sticks.
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By the 60th minute, Lionel Mpasi Nzau had made four saves, but all important ones.
In addition, those four saves prevented an xG of 1.23, over 0.30 xG per shot, as he kept the Three Lions at bay.
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Who is DR Congo's goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi Nzau?
The DR Congo shot-stopper has been on fire tonight. | Credit: Getty Images
Mpasi Nzau is a Ligue 1 shot-stopper, for Le Havre in French football's top-flight.
The Congolese goalkeeper is not a starter for his club side, however, he has displayed heroics when given the chance.
When given a chance, the Congolese goalkeeper is remarkable. | Credit: Getty Images
In February, Mpasi Nzau was substituted on at half-time in Le Havre's match against Toulouse .
In 45 minutes, he made five saves, four of which came from shots inside the box, and prevented an xG of 1.38.
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As a result, Le Havre won the match 2-1, with two of those saves coming in the 93rd and 98th minute.
In Ligue 1 last season, Mpasi Nzau played just four games, but averaged 3.8 saves per match and prevented 2.34 goals.
For DR Congo , his best game of the tournament came in a 1-0 loss to Colombia , when the shot-stopper got his hand on eight attempts.
Lionel Mpasi Nzau has kept his team in it. | Credit: Getty Images
The goalkeeper was previously in Ligue 2 with Rodez FC for six seasons, between the years of 2019 and 2025.
Mpasi Nzau, who has never played club football outside of France , represented the French national team at U-17 level in 2011.
After being benched for all five matches at the U-17 FIFA World Cup, he was called up for DR Congo ten years later, during qualifying for the tournament in 2021.
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Mpasi Nzau didn't make his first appearance for the national side until 2023, where he won Man of the Match in a 2-0 victory against Gabon, during Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
Since then, he been the starting goalkeeper for Sebastien Desabre's side, featuring in every match for DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup .
