Kinshasa, April 9th, 2025 (CPA) – AS V.Club were stunned by AC Rangers, 0-1, in a clash between two teams from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Wednesday at the Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa, on the 26th day of Group B of the Ligue nationale de football (Linafoot) championship. No sooner had AC Rangers kicked off than their striker, Sylva Kitenge, made a dazzling run and was in an ideal position to score, but Keni Saidi, V.Club’s Ugandan goalkeeper, narrowly saved. The Dauphins Noirs responded to this warning from Académiciens de Kinshasa with a well-taken shot from Kevin Makoko (14th). To avoid the worst, AC Rangers keeper Ndofunsu took to the air to turn the ball away for an unproductive corner.
As this first warning, which concealed Rangers’ real ambition, was not enough, the same Sylva Kitenge (22nd) found himself in front of Keni Saidi who, as in the first minute, stopped the danger, with the ball deflected for a corner, without any positive consequences for the Academicians. AC Rangers‘ efforts were crowned with success when Eboma Serera opened the scoring (43’), despite being surrounded by a pack of inactive V.Club defenders, after a corner from left to right. From another incisive AC Rangers attack, Sylva Kitenge lobbed Keni Saidi, the V.Club keeper, who was beaten but relieved by a defender who, in a hurry, saved the ball on the goal-line. That’s how it stayed at the interval, right up until the final whistle. As a reminder, the two clubs drew 1-1 in the first leg. In terms of qualification for the play-offs, there is nothing to complain about, given that before this encounter, the Dauphins Noirs and Académiciens had already put their two feet up and are still there without any threat. With this win, AC Rangers improved their individual rating by a further three points to a total of 34 points from 20 outings, leaving AS V.Club 29 points behind after 20 matches.
Partial view of the Group B standings.
AS Maniema Union (1st, 40 pts, 17 matches), Les Aigles du Congo (2nd, 38 pts, 20 matches), AC Rangers (3rd, 34 pts, 20 matches), AS V. Club (4th, 29 pts, 20 matches), AF Anges Verts (5th, 26 pts, 19 matches), Céleste FC (6th, 24 pts, 19 matches), DCMP (7th, 24 pts, 19 matches), OC Renaissance du Congo (8th, 20 pts, 20 matches), AS Dauphin Noir de Goma (9th, 19 pts, 12 matches), AC Kuya, (10th, 19 pts, 20 matches).
Céleste beat New Jak 2-0 in Group B
View of the match between Celeste and New Jak before kick-off
In the other Group B match, Céleste FC of Mbandaka in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) overcame New Jak of Kinshasa 2-0 on Wednesday at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Matchday 21 of the LINAFOOT championship. It was a hard-fought match in which both sides showed their desire to share the spoils in the first half. At this pace, Celeste took advantage of a ball lost by the New Jak defence to open the scoring through Kongo Madima (32′), before New Jak’s Fula Mfumu was sent off for accumulating yellow cards. The score at half-time was 1-0.
At the restart, despite the numerical disadvantage, New Jak resisted Celeste’s attacking onslaughts for over 40 minutes, until conceding a second goal towards the end, scored by Bashale Mafuku (89th), making it 2-0 at the referee’s final whistle. The win took Celeste FC to 24 points from 19 outings, level on points with Daring Club Motema Pembe on 24 points, but with a game in hand. Céleste are due to meet Renaissance du Congo, while Motema Pembe face Maniema Union.