DR Congo hammered Zimbabwe 4-0 in their final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group A match at the 30 June Stadium in Egypt on Sunday night.

The result saw the Leopards and Warriors finish their group stage campaign third, and fourth respectively.

The Leopards got off to a flying start as they broke the deadlock as early as the fourth minute through their targetman Jonathan Bolingi.

The Belgium-based striker pounced and scored with a header from close range to make it 1-0 to DR Congo after Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold Cedric Bakambu's free-kick.

The Warriors grew in confidence as the match progressed, but Sunday Chidzambwa's men were struggling to create clear-cut chances for their strikers Knowledge Musona and Khama Billiat.

DR Congo, who have won two AFCON titles, looked dangerous every time they pushed forward and they managed to double their lead five minutes after the half-hour mark.

China-based striker Bakambu raced clear and fired past Baroka FC shot-stopper Chipezeze to make it 2-0 to DR Congo with the Zimbabwe defence exposed.

Bolingi, who had opened the scoring, picked up an injury and he was replaced by Middlesbrough FC frontman Britt Assombalonga on the stroke of half-time.

DR Congo were deservedly leading 2-0 at the interval after taking their chances in the first-half.

Chidzambwa introduced Nyasha Mushekwi, who is a striker by trade, seven minutes after the restart as Zimbabwe looked to pull one back.

However, the Leopards continued to attack in search of more goals and they were awarded a penalty after Bakambu was fouled by Chipezeze in the box.

Bakambu then stepped up and fired past Chipezeze, who had replaced injured George Chigova in the starting line-up, to make it 3-1 to DR Congo five minutes after the hour-mark.

It was 4-0 to DR Congo following a mistake by Chipezeze as the goal-minder fumbled the ball and Assombalonga hit the back of the net with 12 minutes left.

Zimbabwe pushed for a late consolation goal, but Tino Kadewere was brilliantly denied by goalkeeper Ley Matampi to ensure that DR Congo recorded a 4-0 victory on the night.

Zimbabwe (0) 0
DR Congo (2) 4 (Bolingi 4, Bakambu 35', 65', Assombalonga 78')

Zimbabwe: Chipezeze, Darikwa, Mhlanga, Hadebe, Pfumbidzal, Munetsi (Kadewere 70'), Phiri, Karuru, Chawapiwa (Mushekwi 52'), Musona (Mahachi 80'), Billiat.

DR Congo: Matampi, Issama, Mbemba, Tisserand, Ngonda, Akolo (Luyindama 83'), Mulumbu (Elia 76'), Moke, Maghoma, Bakambu, Bolingi (Assombalonga 45').

Group A rivals Zimbabwe and DR Congo will meet for a do-or-die 2019 Africa Cup of Nations clash in Cairo on Sunday 30 June, kick-off at 21:00 CAT.

Zimbabwe picked up their first point of the AFCON on Wednesday night when they played out a 1-1 draw with Uganda. The Warriors were behind early on to a goal from Emmanuel Okwi, but they hit back through Khama Billiat to earn a share of the spoils.

However, the Southern Africans will be disappointed that they didn’t manage to claim all three points on offer, as they missed out on several good scoring chances through the match and were arguably the better team overall.

Coach Sunday Chidzambwa will task his team with raising their level of performance for this final group stage match, as they look to make history for the country and become the first Zimbabwean team to advance into the knockout rounds of the Nations Cup.

DR Congo are in an even worse position than Zimbabwe, having lost a second successive match when they were downed 2-0 by hosts Egypt on Wednesday night – Ahmed Elmohamady and Mohamed Salah scored for the Pharaohs.

This leaves the Leopards on zero points and with a minus four goal difference, meaning they will need a big win over Zimbabwe to have a chance of being ranked as one of the best third-place finishers.

The Warriors, meanwhile, still have a chance of finishing in the top two of the group. A win over DRC combined with a win for already-qualified Egypt over Uganda in the other Group A match would bring them level with the Cranes – it would then be down to goal difference as the tie breaker (due to the teams’ draw in midweek).

In head-to-head stats, Zimbabwe and DR Congo have met in just four previous matches. The Warriors have claimed two wins compared to one for the Leopards, while one game ended all-square.

The teams’ most recent meetings were played back-to-back in October last year in the qualification campaign for this AFCON tournament: Zimbabwe won 2-1 in Kinshasa, while the return game in Harare ended in a 1-1 stalemate.