Despite not being able to clinch a bronze medal, Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sabastian Desabre says there are a lot of positives to take from the Leopards’ showing in Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
DR Congo narrowly missed out on the bronze medal after a goalless draw in the third place play off concluded with a disappointing 6-5 penalty shoot-out loss to South Africa in Abidjan on Saturday.
“We wanted to finish the competition well, but this does not affect the beautiful competition we had during this Afcon and what the players gave during these last few weeks. We are fourth because we couldn’t finish the chances we created,” said Desabre.
“My takeaway from today is that when we look at the boys play, we can see that they give 100 per cent even when they are tired. With this fighting spirit on the pitch, we can get things done. We are very happy with how we have performed. This is a team that was not there in the previous edition so we can be proud of progress,” concluded the coach.
Meanwhile, defender Dylan Batubinsika says they will only take the positives from Cote d’Ivoire.
The St. Etienne defender said: “I am pleased with this trophy. I thank God for this. I think we can be proud of our tournament. We performed well and we take the positives from this journey. Only a few expected us to reach this level and it is a positive take away to build for the future,” said the defender.
The lanky defender said it was also important to draw positives from the tournament and also touched on his highlight of the tournament.
“I will only remember the positives from our journey. My best memory remains our victory against Egypt. It was a tough and difficult match and we emerged victorious against a quality side,” he concluded.
