The Democratic Republic of Congo grabbed the second-last available berth at the World Cup finals by beating Jamaica 1-0 in their inter-confederation playoff on Tuesday with Axel Tuanzebe netting an extra-time winner to see them return to the finals after a 52-year wait.
The former England under-21 international bundled the ball over the line from a corner in the 100th minute but had to wait for more than minute while it was checked for a possible handball before being confirmed as a goal.
Jamaica’s veteran goalkeeper Andrew Blake made a sharp save to deny Cedric Bakambu at the start of the second half before the Reggae Boyz enjoyed a dominant spell after being on the back foot for most of the first half.
During a 20-minute burst of dominance for Jamaica, Leon Bailey had their best opportunity in the 67th minute but put wide his diving header on the end of a cross from the left from Tyreece Campbell.
