Kinshasa, May 27th, 2025 (CPA).- Motema Pembe of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will take on Sanga Balende of Kasai Oriental, in the center of the country, on Wednesday at the Martyrs stadium in the 10th round of the National Football League (Linafoot) play-offs, according to the schedule. The match comes at a time when the capital’s green-and-white club is on a roll, following their emphatic 3-1 win over Aigles du Congo last Sunday.
With three points from eight outings to their name, the Immaculate can still improve if they can knock Sanga Balende off their perch. On paper, the Kinshasa Falcons have everything they need to do just that. But they should be wary of the Red and Gold of Mbuji-Mayi in Kasai-Oriental, whose results do not accurately reflect their true level. In fact, despite taking 4 points from 7 outings, Sanga Balende, ranked 11th, have always shown good ball movement, but have often failed to finish off their attacks. Sanga Balende showed this against V.Club (0-1), Maniema Union (0-1) and Don Bosco (0-0).
So Motema Pembe should forget the euphoric mood of their metamorphosis against the Aigles du Congo and put their feet back on the ground. Regardless of the penultimate position of Mbuji-Mayi’s ‘Banjelu ne Basantu’, or ‘Angels and Saints’, there is nothing to stop them dreaming of a first-ever performance in the play-offs for the 30th edition of the National Football League (Linafoot) championship.
A reunion after the 2021 Congo Cup final
It is almost four years since Motema Pembe met Sanga Balende at the Martyrs Stadium. Not in the Linafoot championship, where the two sides have always played in two different groups and never had a chance of reaching the play-offs, as will be the case on Wednesday. On top of that, the last time the two sides met was in 2021, in the final of the Congo Football Cup. That final, the longest in the history of the competition, was settled after a very elastic save from Dezy Mbomba Motu (84th), who headed home a corner from Brazzaville’s Borel Tomandzoto.
Prior to this match between Motema Pembe and Sanga Balende, another between AF Anges Verts and FC Tanganyika de Kalemie is scheduled for matchday 8 of the play-offs. At the start of this match, Tanganyika are ranked 8th, with 9 points from 9 outings, while AF Anges Verts are bottom of the table, with 2 points from 7 games played.
Don Bosco take on V.Club on Wednesday at the Mazembe stadium
Above Don Bosco and below V. Club below. (Ph d’archives)
On the other side of the Mazembe stadium, Don Bosco of Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), take on V.Club of Kinshasa, the country’s capital, on Wednesday in the 8th round of the play-offs of the national football league (Linafoot). According to the statistics for this competition, CS Don Bosco -AS V.Club is a tie between the third-placed team and the seventh-placed team, who are 4 points off the pace. The “Salésiens” from Lubumbashi have 16 points from 9 outings, including 5 wins, a draw (AC Rangers 0-0) and 3 defeats (Mazembe 1-2, Maniema Union 0-1 and Lupopo 0-1).
Not at all flamboyant, AS V.Club are progressing at the pace of two short victories, 1-0 over Sanga Balende and Anges Verts, followed by another 3-0 win over Simba. The club also recorded two draws against AC Rangers (1-1) and TP Mazembe (0-0). The green and black club from Kinshasa lost twice to Aigles du Congo (0-3, forfeit) and Tanganyika (0-1).
It was with this result that Kinshasa’s Dauphins Noirs began their journey to Lusaka. The second was a red light for them, with CS Don Bosco’s two victories over fellow strugglers Aigles du Congo (2-1) and AC Rangers (2-0) serving as a wake-up call. In fact, on more than one occasion in the past, the “Salésiens” have been the bête noire of V.Club, who have also managed to beat them at times.
In other words, although this match remains undecided, according to observers, the odds seem to be more in CS Don Bosco’s favor, as they have firmly established themselves in the top three of the table and will be playing in a stadium that has never been lucky for V.Club, whose best result there has always been a draw, especially against Mazembe. In this case, Don Bosco, from the same stable as the Lubumbashi Crows, are like the little chick hiding the mother hen.