Three games, three defeats, and 14 goals conceded without a single one scored — DR Congo's first appearance at a FIFA World Cup, back in 1974 under the name Zaire, was a tournament debut the nation would rather forget.

They were the first sub-Saharan African side to reach the finals, but losses of 2-0 to Scotland and 9-0 to Yugoslavia compounded a painful campaign. The defining image arrived in their final group game against Brazil, when defender Mwepu Ilunga broke from the defensive wall as Brazil prepared to take a free-kick and launched the ball downfield. He was booked, and ridicule followed internationally — though, as Ilunga revealed nearly four decades later, the act was deliberate protest.