Democratic Republic of Congo head coach Sébastien Desabre believes they have what it takes to beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The Leopards will face Nigeria in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs at the Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex, Rabat on Sunday.
Desabre’s side stunned the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 1-0 in the semi-final on Thursday.
The 49-year-old insists they can repeat similar result against the Super Eagles, who he labelled ‘best team in Africa”.
Read Also:‘We’re Not Good Enough’ — Mouyouma Disappointed With Gabon’s Loss To Super Eagles
“Nigeria remains the best in Africa. We know we still have room for improvement against teams ranked ahead of us in the FIFA rankings,” actualize.cd.
“We have experienced players. What we’re putting in place hasn’t happened overnight. We’ve been working for three years to be capable and strong against teams like Cameroon and to beat teams like that. We know we’re progressing to qualify for a World Cup.”
“The ultimate goal within six years is to finish in the top nine at least. We’re making progress, we’ve taken a good step today, and we’ll have a team against Nigeria to show what we’re capable of.
“It will be a different kind of match. Whatever happens, we’re going to give it our all. Against Senegal, we were five minutes away from the World Cup. We took a few steps back.”
By Adeboye Amosu
11 Comments
Our finishing needs to be better. We escaped the consequences of poor finishing against Gabon, and I deliberately use the word ESCAPED. If the ref had awarded that penalty, our goose would have been well and truly cooked. We would have been out, all because we failed to convert numerous chances during the game. The match could have been done as a contest by the end of the first half if we took our chances.
We’ve got to be more clinical in front of goal. Against better opponents, we might pay a heavy price.
Alai, we don’t shoot from long range enough, we’re not good with direct free kicks. This is how good teams get goals in tight games.
Instead of shooting over the bar or wide, KEEP THE SHOT ON FRAME. Better ro sacrifice some power for more accuracy. Better to even shoot directly at the keeper. Let him earn his money. Don’t make it easy for him by shooting high and wide.
One positive is that we’re beginning to see more scorers apart from Osimhen.
Creating chances is not a problem for this team,. The problem is finishing.
Let’s believe it’s the single training in 3 whole days that caused the “rustiness”.
Really, they should have been done with gabon at halftime
Before Congo DRC, they’d have had at least 3 sessions of training and importantly, less social media usage too
My fear is that the Congolese are very physical.
Factor in the willingness of African players to be taken off the pitch on stretchers when they face the SE. That sends shivers down my spine.
Nobody is talking about the promise of their government too:
One million dollars for each player if they beat Nigeria is already in the bank awaiting authorization.
How many of their players get such sums of money in a year?
Just tell me to get an “A” in 3 tough courses in school and I’ll be rewarded with 5000 dollars only. I will eat, breathe and live those courses.
Contrast it to NFF owing our Eagles!
Now, this is where we will know whether leopards fly ahead of Eagles. The first real tough test for Chelle to prove his mettle.
The good news from their stats this year is that they’ve not drawn any match.
Not counting any of the 4 chan results they played where they lost to Morocco in the quarters, they’ve won 8 of 9 matches.
Their only blip was against Senegal.
Not sounding disrespectful, apart from Cameroon (obviously disadvantaged due to off field issues) and Senegal, no other opposition compares to the stuff super Eagles are.
Mauritania, Togo, Mali, Madagascar and the Sudans aren’t worth comparison with Eagles on any day.
Chelle goons should hold their own even if $1m can make anyone to die on the pitch to get
Chelle need deploy two deep midfielder in onyedika and onyeka right in front of the back 4 and behind iwobi, one midfielder will struggle to handle that workaholic sadiki ooo, that boy got extra lung but we will still win them.
A positive for me is that their goalkeeper doesn’t seem to be as good as the Gabonese or Rwandan goalkeeper. Hopefully, if we get those sorts of chances we had in the first half of the Gabon match and are more clinical, a couple of them would go in.
However, their defenders are more compact and play more mature football than Gabon’s. I’ll still give the SE the edge, though.
I saw the match they played against Senegal at home, where they were leading 2 – 0 at halftime but ended up losing that same match 3-2. It made my fear subside a bit.
Having watched few of their recrnt matches DR Congo seem like one of those teams that don’t scare you with fancy names — but the moment the match starts, you quickly realize you’re in for 90 minutes of pure harassment. They’re a nightmare precisely because they blend rugged experience with modern athleticism. With Mbemba and Masuaku marshalling the backline like seasoned bouncers, a midfield engine room driven by Pickel and Moutoussamy who treat every second ball like a life mission, and fast, direct forwards like Elia, Mayele, and Bakambu, they become a team that never really gives you a moment to settle or think.
Their entire identity revolves around compressing the pitch and suffocating your rhythm. They don’t let you dwell on the ball — if you take two touches, they take the ball. If you turn, they crash into you. If you hesitate, they counter. Their transition from defence to attack is brutally quick, the kind that doesn’t need finesse — just one vertical pass, two runners, and suddenly your defence is sprinting back like people chasing a bus. They love narrow margins, disciplined structure, and long spells of organized frustration, and they’re perfectly comfortable winning ugly.
What makes them especially tricky is that they thrive in chaos. Where some teams panic when the ball bounces awkwardly, Congo come alive. They win duels, bully you off 50-50s, and punish even the smallest lapse in concentration. You can’t stroll, you can’t be casual, and you definitely can’t play disjointed football against them. If you do, they drag you into a physical, high-intensity dogfight and beat you on sheer will. That’s the unique challenge they bring: a battle of mindset as much as tactics — and one the Super Eagles must be mentally sharp, disciplined, and decisive to overcome.
For sure, we’ve got the quality ro win
That’s so on point @Papafem. Those guys play ugly. Very physical, leaving no breathing space. I fear for some of our fragile legs, like Osimhen. I hope he’s not hatched and forced to go out like in the Rwandan match. Who knows, they may have written it down as a strategy. The upside of that happening is that there’s VAR, we could be compensated with a penalty if it’s in the 18-yard box.
Bottom line. Nigeria can be physical too, but these Leopards guys are ultra-physical and play dirty. Sexy or free-flowing football is not in their dictionary. I believe Chelle and co are studying tapes and mapping out counter strategies, as well as ways to protect Osimhen from injury and forced substitution.
I do believe we’ll win.
And you didn’t mention their weaknesses.
I’ve never been comfortable with playing only one midffielder alongside Iwobi.
He tries to contribute defensively, but it’s obvious he’s not cut out for that. He’s much more at home when he’s contributing offensively.
Against a Lemina led midfield, we barely coped. We will meet opponents with much stronger midfield setups.
So yes, I support the idea of having another box to box midfielder. We should have 2 in front of the back four.
We can move Iwobi to the wings. He plays there at his club, and does well week in, week out.
A one man DM will work if he’s exceptionally gifted. Like Busquets did for so long at Barca. I think Frederick could play this role. Perhaps we could try him there in a friendly, NOT A COMPETITIVE MATCH.
Going into the next game. I’d feel more comfortable with 2 robust midfielders in front of the defense.
Thumbs up Pompeii Man. You’ve nailed it.
Heaven bless Pompeii and all aspiring pen pushers .