Desabre rues missed chances as DR Congo’s TotalEnergies CAF AFCON dream dies

Published:
Thursday, 08 February 2024

DR Congo manager Sebastien Desabre was left ruing missed opportunities as his side’s TotalEnergies CAF AFCON dream died against Cote d’Ivoire.

The Leopards succumbed 1-0 to the tournament hosts in Wednesday’s semi-final, with Sebastien Haller scoring the winner.

It means DR Congo miss out on a shot at a third continental crown.

Instead, Desabre and his players were left crestfallen after exiting despite a spirited display. « My first impression is disappointment, considering the course of the match, » lamented the Frenchman.

Desabre pointed to multiple chances spurned in the first half as proving pivotal. Cedric Bakambu had a goal harshly disallowed before Yoane Wissa wasted a glorious one-on-one.

« We didn’t take advantage of our momentum, » rued Desabre. « We tried to have all the offensive weapons to equalize, by changing the system, making substitutions, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. »

Despite the heartbreak, Desabre praised the performance and effort of his Congolese warriors. He acknowledged they faced brilliant opponents in ‘s Elephants.

« It must be recognized that there was a great team from Cote d’Ivoire facing us. It didn’t come down to much. We’re disappointed tonight; we could have achieved a better result, » Desabre conceded.

Attention now turns to securing third place when DR Congo face South Africa on Saturday. « We are competitors, we need to quickly regroup. We have a match on Saturday to secure third place, » stated Desabre defiantly.

Reaching the last four capped impressive progress for DR Congo in Desabre’s first tournament. The Frenchman has moulded a youthful, dynamic team who could yet leave AFCON 2023 with heads held high.