DR Congo hero Brian Cipenga leads Castellon to La Liga 2 win

Brian Cipenga launched himself into the spotlight during the DR Congo national team’s triumph in 2026 World Cup qualifying and is now thriving for club Castellon in the Spanish second tier. The winger came on at halftime to produce a Man of the Match performance in Castellon’s 3-1 victory at Deportivo la Coruña on Sunday.

Just like in the DRC’s 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the semifinals of the African regional qualifying playoff, Cipenga provided a crucial corner kick on the winning goal. With the match tied 1-1 in the 79th minute, his service found the head of defender Fabrizio Brignani to put the visitors ahead against of their hosts, currently in second position on the table.

And the midfielder was not done. Six minutes later, the 27-year-old Kinshasa native headed in his fourth goal of the season to put the visitors out of reach and into fifth place.

After spending most of his career in lower division obscurity in Portuguese club football, the Boavista youth product has enjoyed a rapid rise over the last three seasons. His breakthrough came during the 2023-24 season with Portuguese second tier side Pacos Ferreira, where he became a regular contributor before signing for Castellon ahead of last season. This season, he has four goals and four assists in twelve La Liga 2 matches.

More significantly, Cipenga’s strong form caught the attention of DR Congo national team coach Sebastien Desabre, who first called him in in October. After debuting as a substitute against Sudan on October 14, the winger was called in for crucial qualifying playoff matches against Cameroon and Nigeria.

His second appearance for his nation was a memorable one after he came off the bench to assist Leopards captain Chancel Mbemba for the dramatic late winner in the semifinal against Cameroon.

Cipenga also came off the bench in the final against Nigeria, where Mbemba converted the winning spot kick in a penalty shootout victory to qualify the DRC for the inter-confederation playoff tournament that will take place in Mexico next March. He was included in Desabre’s squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.