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The Frenchman said he was “happy for the people who are in difficulty in the Eastern part” of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dedicating the qualification of his team to the Congolese population victims of the war.
The Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for the quarterfinals following an 8-7 penalty shootout victory against Egypt, following a one-all draw after 120 nervewracking minutes.
Meschack Ellia netted for Congo before Mostafa Mohammed found Egypt's leveller at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro.
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Leopards coach Sébastien Desabre looked back on a historical victory on what it meant at an individual level and for the entire nation.
The Frenchman said he was “happy for the people who are in difficulty in the Eastern part” of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dedicating the qualification of his team to the Congolese population victims of the war.
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12:13 - 28.01.2024
AFCON 2023: Sebastien Desabre breathing confidence, raring to guide DR Congo past Salah-less Egypt
"The group phase is over, and we're now going to take part in another competition with different rules, in which there's no room for the loser."
“I don't know if it was my knowledge of Egyptian football that gave us this victory. We performed well, even if we did not validate numerical superiority. But, I am proud of my players," he said in the post-match press conference.
"I knew my team was capable of competing with the Pharaohs. It's been a long time since we led. I always said that we were challengers. We will recover and prepare for the match against Guinea. We want to go as far as possible. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. The credit goes to my players. I am happy with their riot of energy," added Desabre.
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"At the stage where we are, be aware that even if we are defeated, do not be afraid to return to Congo because you have shown the world what you are capable of."
He added: “We put something in place; we knew that we were going to be less good in possession but more direct and vertical in depth.”
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10:57 - 17.01.2024
Former Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre reveals AFCON targets with DRC
"We're going into the competition with a two-fold objective: to go as far as possible and continue to work on renewing our squad," Desabre noted.
“The pride, the credit goes to my players. We have come a long way; they are the ones working on this path. They are the heroes of the evening!” he summed.
These heroes, with whom he has been working since September 2022, broke the six-year duck. It was in 2017 in Gabon that the Leopards played their last quarterfinal against Ghana.
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20:24 - 28.01.2024
AFCON 2023: Late drama, a send-off, a missed penalty, tears and joy as Guinea eject Equatorial Guinea
Guinea then the struck deep into stoppage time, as Bayo headed home at the near post to score his second goal, and only Guinea’s third of the entire tournament.
It was Desabre's second time at the Round of 16, with his first in 2019 as Uganda Cranes being ended by Sadio Mane and Senegal.
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