First Afcon‚ now World Cup - Senegal trapped in 'football hell'

IAN LADYMAN: England's next hurdle at the World Cup as the knock-out stages begin is against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And while they may not be a household football name to a UK audience‚ DR Congo were the first sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the World Cup and twice won the Africa Cup of Nations‚ as Zaire. They have a string of Premier League players - including stars bought for £55million and £50m - and will be a danger to England.

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DR Congo's famous living statue made his World Cup debut on Tuesday as the superfan watched their narrow group stage defeat by Colombia. The fan‚ Michel Nkuka Mboladinga‚ earned fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of DR Congo's assassinated independence leader Patrice Lumumba for the entirety of games. He had been forced to wait to watch his national team at the World Cup - DR Congo's first since they competed as Zaire in 1974‚ after missing their draw due to Ebola quarantine requirements.

SCOTLAND 0-1 MOROCCO - IAN LADYMAN AT BOSTON STADIUM: Scotland are still in mix at this World Cup despite falling to defeat to AFCON champions Morocco at Boston's stunning Gillette Stadium. A goal down within two minutes‚ Steve Clarke's side looked set for a hiding against a team that scared the life out of Brazil six days earlier in New York.

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IAN LADYMAN IN NEW JERSEY: Brazil haven't lost the opening game of a World Cup since 1934 and only the brilliance of Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior saved them here in New Jersey. All of Carlo Ancelotti's nightmares came true in an opening half an hour at the MetLife that saw AFCON champions Morocco take the lead and threaten to blow the five-time champions off the face of the planet. The great Italian coach perhaps knew he was taking a risk by pairing 34-year-old Casemiro with Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes at the heart of his midfield as temperatures nudged 90 degrees at kick-off.

Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score‚ team news and updates as five-time World Cup winners Brazil kick off their campaign against AFCON champions Morocco at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Hell's Kitchen star‚ 59‚ is an avid Scotland fan and donned a home strip as he gave a few words of encouragement to Steve Clarke's side. Scotland will face Haiti in their opener at the Gillette Stadium in the early hours of Saturday morning‚ with the game to kick off at 2am BST. The game has been billed as a must-win‚ with matches against Africa Cup of Nations winners Morocco and international super giants Brazil to come.

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