Kinshasa, June 24th, 2026 (CPA).- The head coach of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national team, Sébastien Desabre, said on Wednesday during the post-match press conference that the Leopards’ qualification hopes will be decided against Uzbekistan following their defeat to Colombia, according to a video that has gone viral on social media.
“We will now play for qualification on the final day of the group stage against Uzbekistan. It was a difficult match for us. We faced a high-quality team that proved superior. Despite that, our players fought until the end in an attempt to secure a positive result, but we were unable to turn our efforts into goals,” the Leopards coach said. He continued: “Playing against Portugal and Colombia allows us to gain valuable experience at the highest level. We will now recover and focus on our next challenge. A draw will not be enough; we must take risks and go for victory. We will analyze this match, correct our mistakes and move forward. We will be ready to face Uzbekistan, a team with excellent defenders.” It should be noted that in Group K, Colombia leads the standings with six points from two matches, ahead of Portugal in second place with four points. The DRC is third with one point, while Uzbekistan sits at the bottom of the table with no points.
“We are aware of the defeat, but our focus is on Uzbekistan” (Chancel Mbemba)
The captain of the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team, Chancel Mbemba, also acknowledged his side’s defeat.
“The squad is aware of the defeat, but we are focused on the match against Uzbekistan,” he said in the same post-match press conference video. “That is football. Today, God allowed Colombia to win, but we fought hard. We had three clear chances, but we did not score. Now we will recover well because we still have a final to play,” he stated. He added: “We know very well that it is a final, and finals are meant to be won. We believe in ourselves. It will not be easy, but if God allows us to make history, it will be a great moment.” It should be recalled that on the opening match day, the Democratic Republic of the Congo held Portugal to a 1-1 draw before suffering a 1-0 defeat against Colombia.