DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi kept England from breaking the match open in the first half with a series of saves at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32. The 31-year-old, born in Meaux, France, held DR Congo within striking distance while England kept pressing.
Mpasi Against England
Mpasi started for DR Congo on July 01, 2026, and the opening spell turned into a test of reflexes and positioning. Harry Kane was denied on a shot that Mpasi saved, and Jude Bellingham was among the England players turned away as the pressure kept coming.
The sequence mattered because it was not a single stop. Mpasi delivered several impressive first-half saves, which is the sort of workload that can keep a team alive long enough to settle into a match. DR Congo needed that kind of response because England controlled much of the early action.
Meaux To DR Congo
Mpasi’s path explains why this showing fits his profile. He was born on August 1, 1994, in Meaux, France, came through US Torcy, and spent time at Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse before his senior international switch. He represented France in youth competitions, then began his DR Congo career on February 1, 2022, when he came off the bench in a friendly against Bahrain.
At 1.82 meters, he does not fit the towering frame often associated with the position, but DR Congo has leaned on him anyway. He became the first-choice goalkeeper heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and his work against England showed why Sébastien Desabre has trusted him in a high-pressure role.
Leopards Need Him
That trust has been building since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, when Mpasi played a key role in DR Congo’s run to the knockout stage. Against England, the same pattern held: the Leopards got another match in which their goalkeeper absorbed the early pressure and kept the score from slipping away quickly.
How many total saves did Lionel Mpasi make against England? The exact number is not listed, but the first-half stretch was enough to define the match’s opening phase and keep DR Congo in range as the World Cup campaign moved forward.
