•For Desabre, the long-awaited win shows his team are hitting form at the perfect time.
•Desabre now believes DR Congo can dream of the ultimate prize. “It would be foolish not to believe in the final victory. But it will be difficult,” he conceded.
Image: CAFONLINE
DR Congo head coach Sébastien Desabre says his side have “points” to finally win the Africa Cup of Nations after finally recording their first victory of the tournament against Guinea in the quarter-finals.
The Leopards had drawn all four previous games against Zambia, Morocco, Tanzania and Egypt. But their 3-1 triumph over Guinea on Saturday earned a semi-final clash with hosts Cote d’Ivoire.
For Desabre, the long-awaited win shows his team are hitting form at the perfect time.
“This victory comes at the right time as we are gaining momentum in the competition. We won, we drew, but did not lose,” the Frenchman said.
Desabre now believes DR Congo can dream of the ultimate prize. “It would be foolish not to believe in the final victory. But it will be difficult,” he conceded.
The coach feels DR Congo have the firepower to trouble any defence, despite only scoring three goals before the quarters.
“We have forwards like Bakambu, Banza, and Mayele Fiston. We know it was a matter of time before we succeeded,” Desabre insisted.
With momentum building and a first AFCON crown now within reach, the DR Congo boss is daring to dream.
“When you reach the semi-finals, you first want to reach the final. And if you have the chance to reach the final, you want to win it,” said Desabre. “We will do everything to have no regrets.”
After finally finding their attacking spark, Desabre and DR Congo can be forgiven for believing their Afcon fairytale may have a glorious ending.
Elsewhere, South Africa’s number one, Ronwen William gave credit to his entire teammates and technical staff for his heroic displays on Saturday following Bafana Bafana’s semi-final qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
The Bafana Bafana shot-stopper not only kept Cape Verde at bay during the 120 minutes of play but further denied the Blue Sharks four times in the penalty shoot-out to lead his side to the next round where they will face Nigeria.
It was tough. They played their part and it was my time to play my part” said William crediting his teammates and back-end staff.
“I am just glad we are in the next round. This is not mine but it is for the collective. The staff, technical team and each player. This journey has been tough but we soldiered on as a team so I will accept this on behalf of every player in Bafana Bafana” said Williams.
Bafana Bafana take on the Super Eagles in the semi-finals on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.