Internal financial disputes disrupted morale once the team arrived in Europe. Reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Kalambay noted, "We were missing one small thing: recognition.
We didn't get our bonuses."
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"You don't have the morale to play. And that's what happened to us," Kalambay added.
Zaire conceded 14 goals in three matches.
The Rumble in the Jungle
In October 1974, President Mobutu funded a $10 million purse to host the heavyweight boxing championship between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, known as the Rumble in the Jungle.
"Geopolitically, President Mobutu really pulled off a media coup because his country was discovered and became known across the world," Mwana recalled.
The event elevated Zaire's international profile despite severe domestic economic challenges, including a collapse in copper prices and fuel shortages.
"It was a crisis," Mwana said, but Mobutu insisted that "the dignity of his country was beyond price."
The whole country mobilized to stage the fight, which ended with Ali defeating Foreman in the eighth round.
Celebrations lasted 48 hours.
"People partied right through the night. Beer was flowing freely for up to 48 hours after the fight," Mwana said.
The sporting triumph provided temporary relief from economic troubles. "Zaire caught its breath a little.
Except economically, that wasn't," Mwana noted.
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Now, DR Congo's national team looks to advance to the quarter-finals by defeating England on Wednesday.
