Kinshasa, October 5th, 2026 (CPA).- The Leopards of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Cranes of Uganda drew 1-1 on Monday at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the second leg of an international friendly during the October 2026 FIFA international break. Following the 0-2 defeat suffered in the first leg, DRC head coach Sébastien Desabre reshuffled his starting eleven, bringing in Chancel Mbemba, Joris Kayembe, Jackson Muleka and Kevin Pedro, among others, in a bid to avenge the defeat. However, things turned out differently on the pitch. From the opening whistle, the Leopards attempted to impose a high press, but their first attacking moves failed to produce clear-cut chances. In the 15th minute, Noah Sadiki’s shot, deflected by a Ugandan defender, went out for a corner. The resulting corner kick failed to create any danger in front of the Ugandan goal. Shortly afterwards, Ezéchiel Banzuzi, sent through into space and finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, attempted a shot that went over the crossbar, reflecting the Congolese side’s sterile dominance and territorial control, which failed to translate into goals. Uganda’s well-organized midfield, however, disrupted the Congolese build-up, cutting off several passes from the Leopards, whose distribution lacked precision.
In the 40th minute, Uganda won a free kick near the Congolese penalty area, prompting an effective intervention from Noah Sadiki, who headed the ball away for a corner.
The two teams therefore went into the break level at 0-0, despite the DRC’s good possession of the ball and its inability to find a way through the Ugandan defensive setup.
Nathanaël Mbuku puts the Leopards ahead
At the restart, Sébastien Desabre made his first substitution, bringing on Steve Kapuadi in place of Henoch Inonga Baka.
Shortly afterwards, in the 47th minute, Noah Sadiki beat his marker on the left flank before cutting the ball back to a teammate inside the box, whose attempt lacked the composure needed inish. Three minutes later, Uganda created a scoring opportunity after a pass into the space left open by the Congolese defense was exploited by a Ugandan attacker, whose effort came close to one of the posts guarded by Dimitri Bertaud, who narrowly escaped conceding. The DRC then applied strong pressure in search of a goal. Eventually, following a defensive error by Uganda, Nathanaël Mbuku won possession, beat two opponents and fired a low shot beyond the reach of the Cranes goalkeeper. The DRC consequently took a 1-0 lead. The striker celebrated his goal with a few steps of the “Fimbu” dance, the trademark celebration of the Leopards, which has remained popular since 2016, when it was popularized by musician Félix Wazekwa and his group Cultur’A Pays Vie. Five minutes later, the Leopards came close to scoring a second goal. A shot on target forced the Ugandan goalkeeper into two interventions to prevent the ball from crossing his goal line.During the final quarter of an hour, the DRC sought to preserve its lead, while Uganda gradually pushed forward in attack. In the 88th minute, the Cranes created another opportunity inside the Congolese penalty area, but their attempt failed to find the target. As the minutes ticked away and the match appeared to be heading toward a Congolese victory, Uganda equalized in dramatic fashion through James Bogere in the 90th minute. Following a poor attempt by Joris Kayembe to control the ball, the Ugandan striker recovered possession and raced into the DRC penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot that gave Congolese goalkeeper Dimitri Bertaud no chance (1-1). During stoppage time, Noah Sadiki launched one final attacking move in an attempt to restore the Leopards’ lead, but the Ugandan defense stood firm and repelled the threat. The match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw. The DRC, which had conceded two goals in the first leg, scored first this time before being pegged back in the final minutes by a Ugandan side that capitalized on a defensive error by the Congolese.Thus, in their two matches during the October FIFA international break, the DRC recorded one defeat and one draw, conceding three goals and scoring one, under Sébastien Desabre against Uganda, a team he previously coached in Africa before taking charge of the Leopards of the giant Central African nation. Following these two friendly tests, the French coach will certainly draw the necessary lessons, particularly with the arrival of new dual nationals in the Congolese squad.