After two defeats, against Uganda and Egypt, DR Congo claimed their first victory in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations against Zimbabwe 4-0 in Group A final match day on Sunday. But would that be enough to make it to the next round?
The Leopards coach Florent Ibenge is optimistic but admits there is nothing more they could do other than wait for results from other groups.
“Our destiny is no longer in our hands. We did our best to bounce back into the competition with yesterday’s 4-0 win over Zimbabwe,” Ibenge told ACLsports.
“That was the kind of behaviour we needed against Uganda and Egypt which we unfortunately failed to produce. I think we find ourselves in this situation today due to our poor start.
“We will pray and hope to be among the best third-placed teams. It’s not certain yet. We have to wait for other results,” he said.
Sunday June 30 was DR Congo Independence Day and the victory over Zimbabwe added more colours to the celebrations, with the country’s newly-elected President Felix Tshisekedi placing a telephone call to the team at halftime, according to Ibenge.
“Our President called us during the break to encourage us. We made sure our country people enjoyed the day with the win. It was very important for us.”
With three points, DR Congo are currently second on the ranking of third-placed teams.
