By | 📝 Brian Sentuuya
- D.R. Congo’s Gridiron Glory: Desabre’s Tactical Genius Earns Quarter-Final Slot in AFCON 2023
In an electrifying faceoff at Stade Laurent Pokou, D.R. Congo pulled off a gridiron-style victory against Egypt in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, clinching their spot in the quarter-finals after a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Meschack Elia’s thunderous 37th-minute header wasn’t just a goal; it was the opening salvo in a first-half skirmish. Egypt fired back with a penalty courtesy of Mostafa Mohamed.
Despite Egypt’s second-half blitz, D.R. Congo’s defense stood tall, like a steel curtain refusing to yield. The game amped up into overtime, featuring Egypt’s Hamdi Mohamed getting a red card, following his second yellow card of the game.
Even with a man down, Egypt kept on pushing, setting the stage for an epic penalty shootout. In a high-stakes duel, D.R. Congo emerged triumphant with an 8-7 victory, sealed by critical misses from Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed and goalkeeper Gabaski.
This historic win propels D.R. Congo into the quarter-finals, an accomplishment that eclipses their past knockout showings. Meanwhile, Egypt, a seven-time champion, faces a bitter pill for the second time in three tries to progress past the Round of 16.
Sebastien Desabre, the orchestrator of D.R. Congo’s triumph, and a former head coach of the Uganda Cranes, attributed their success to a combination of strategic brilliance, steadfast mental fortitude, and his profound comprehension of Egyptian football.
"I'm very proud of my players. We had a strategy in place to contain this team, but we played too low in the first half. I changed it afterwards and we played better. We suffered, but I think Egypt did too. My knowledge of Egyptian football probably helped us. They're a good team but we were better today. Mentally, I think we were very strong. Now we'll try to recover well and then we'll take it match after match, starting with Guinea, our next opponent"Sébastien Desabre, DR Congo coach
On the other hand, Rui Vitoria, Egypt’s coach, voiced his disappointment but acknowledged the unpredictable twists of football. Despite the setback, he pledged to stay in the grind, working hard with the team and taking a share of the responsibility for the outcome. It’s a tough game, but Vitoria’s commitment shows that in football, the show must go on.
"It wasn't what we expected. We came up against a tough opponent. Each team have its strong and weak moments. We're very sad. We worked hard to go far in the competition. Then there was the penalty shoot-out and that wasn't our day. In football, there are good times and bad times. Part of the responsibility is mine. We're going to keep working with this team as long as I am here"Rui Vitoria, Egypt coach
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