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DR Congo’s goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi Nzau gave England fans plenty to think about with a commanding performance between the posts this evening.

By the 60th minute of the match, Mpasi Nzau had already pulled off four crucial saves, all of which came at critical moments.

Those interventions denied England a combined expected goals (xG) tally of 1.23, averaging more than 0.30 xG per shot, as the Congolese keeper kept the Three Lions scoreless.

Mpasi Nzau currently plays as a goalkeeper in Ligue 1 for Le Havre, competing in France’s top division of football.

Although he is not the first-choice goalkeeper for his club, the Congolese international has shown his ability to deliver match-winning performances whenever called upon.

Back in February, Mpasi Nzau came off the bench at half-time during Le Havre’s clash with Toulouse. In just 45 minutes, he made five saves — four of them from shots inside the box — and prevented an xG of 1.38. His performance helped Le Havre secure a 2-1 win, with two decisive saves arriving deep into stoppage time, in the 93rd and 98th minutes.

Across last season in Ligue 1, Mpasi Nzau featured in only four matches but maintained an impressive average of 3.8 saves per game while preventing 2.34 expected goals in total.

On the international stage, his standout display of the tournament came in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia, when he made eight saves to keep his side in contention.

Before his time at Le Havre, Mpasi Nzau spent six seasons with Rodez FC in Ligue 2, between 2019 and 2025, where he established himself as a reliable presence between the posts.

Having spent his entire club career in France, Mpasi Nzau once represented France at the under-17 level in 2011. He was part of the French squad for the U-17 FIFA World Cup but did not feature in any of the five matches.

Ten years later, in 2021, he received his first senior call-up for DR Congo during the qualifying rounds of the tournament. However, he had to wait until 2023 to make his debut for the national team, when he earned the Man of the Match award in a 2-0 victory over Gabon during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Since that debut, Mpasi Nzau has become the first-choice goalkeeper under coach Sebastien Desabre, starting every match for DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup.