DR Congo manager Sébastien Desabre has stressed the need for his team to regroup swiftly, following their disappointing 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast in Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinal.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Desabre remains determined to secure third place when DR Congo face South Africa on Saturday.
“We are competitors; we need to quickly regroup. We have a match on Saturday to secure third place,” Desabre stated post-match.
The Leopards were edged 1-0 by finalists Ivory Coast, who will now prepare to face Nigeria in Sunday’s title decider.
Expressing his initial frustration, the Frenchman lamented his side’s inability to capitalize on promising positions.
“We didn’t take advantage of our momentum,” Desabre rued.
“We tried various offensive strategies to equalize, including changing the system and making substitutions, but unfortunately, it didn’t yield the desired outcome,” the DR Congo coach added.
Despite falling short against the resilient Ivorians, Desabre will now aim to rouse his troops to deliver a performance worthy of AFCON bronze when they meet South Africa.
