By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Democratic Republic of Congo head coach Sébastien Desabre believes his side will take valuable lessons from their FIFA World Cup 2026 exit and emerge stronger in future, Prompt News Online reports.
The Leopards bowed out of the tournament after suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to England in their Round of 16 clash in Atlanta on Wednesday.
DR Congo made a dream start, taking the lead after just seven minutes through Brian Cipenga, who fired home a superb effort for his first-ever international goal.
England gradually seized control of the contest and fashioned a number of clear-cut opportunities, but Leopards goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi produced a series of outstanding saves to frustrate the Three Lions.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane eventually restored parity for Thomas Tuchel’s men with a well-taken header 15 minutes from time.
The England captain then completed the comeback five minutes from full-time, shrugging off his marker before drilling an unstoppable low strike into the near post to seal his side’s place in the quarter-finals.
Desabre insisted the lessons from the competition will play a crucial role in his team’s future development.
“We’re disappointed because we really believed we could do it. We played well. Towards the end of the match, we conceded two chances and one of the world’s best players scored two goals against us,” Desabre was quoted by FIFA.com.
” It’s a shame. We must congratulate the players on their performance. They’ve gained a lot of experience from playing against teams like this.
“That’s how football in the Congo DR is built: we may have lacked a little experience, but that’s the nature of the game. We’re learning, and we’re continuing to improve. We’ll carry on, calmly.”
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