DR Congo celebrate as Leopards storm semis

In Kinshasa

The Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday after beating the Syli Nationale of Guinea 3-1 in yet another major upset at the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

In Kinshasa, the fans celebrated the victory deep into the night with dances on the streets, scenes that were replicated in all the cities of the DR Congo. 

The Congolese are now starting to believe that they have a chance in this Afcon.

The Leopards previously reached the semi-finals of Afcon for the last time in 2015.

That year, it was Yaya Toure’s Côte d'Ivoire who blocked the Leopards' path to the final by beating them 3-1.

Friday’s game got off to a poor start for the Congolese, who conceded a goal in the 20th minute from a penalty taken by Guinean striker Mohamed Bayo. 

The Syli Nationale's lead lasted just seven minutes, before Chancel Mbemba, captain of the Leopards, equalised in the 27th minute with a left-foot shot, from a tight angle, that went in off the crossbar.

In the second half, the Congolese increased their attacks, Silas Katompa winning a penalty, which was converted in the 65th minute by Yohan Wissa. 

Guinea were totally dominated in the second half. Even the introduction of striker Serhou Guirassy made no difference. 

In the 82nd minute, defender Arthur Masuaku scored with a masterful free-kick from 30 metres out along the touchline with a direct shot that left goalkeeper Ibrahima Kone with no chance. 

The Syli National came to a halt at this stage of the competition. 

Yet Guinea coach Kaba Diawara had promised to “send the DRC home”. 

After the match, he acknowledged that his team is still young and has a lot to learn.

Diawara deplored the injuries to a number of key players, which had handicapped his team.

“We knew we were a young team, that we were learning, but we're learning at a very fast pace. The plan was to rejuvenate the squad. We can really build on these youngsters. We're out of luck because Serhou (Guirassy) was injured for most of the African Cup, but he'll be back next year," said the Guinean coach. 

'Proud of my players'

For the DRC, now is the time to savour the victory before concentrating on the semi-final match against the winner of the match between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali.

"We're going to recover well and think about what's next. I'll say the same thing I said against Egypt. I'm proud of my players. When you're behind in the quarter-finals and you win three goals to one, that means there are certainties. I know the qualities of my players,” said Sebastien Desabre, coach of the Congolese national team. 

Although Cote d'Ivoire 2023 African Cup of Nations is full of surprises, twists and turns, the Leopards knew they had a chance against Guinea. 

Some analysts have looked at the results of past encounters between the two teams. 

The DRC generally do well against the Syli of Guinea. 

The last meeting between the two sides went in favour of the Congolese, 2-1 in Conakry in 2017. 

This is the first time that the DR Congo have won a match in normal time since the start of this Africa Cup of Nations. 

Laughing stock

After scoring three goals in four games, the Leopards finally managed to score three goals in a single match.

Sebastien Desabre's men were the laughing stock of many analysts after the round of 16 matches.

Many of these analysts had rightly pointed out that the DRC had only drawn matches since the start of the competition. 

There was doubt whether the Leopards would be able to win any of their matches, given the team's increasingly blunt performance in front of goal. 

DR Congo’s last victory came on November 15, last year, against Mauritania in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. 

Since then, it has been a lean period, although the team has become solid in defence in the meantime. 

“Every match is difficult. The important thing is to score the goal that will lead to victory. We're going to play a very attacking game with the aim of scoring one more goal than our opponents,” Desabre had promised before the quarters.

They ended up with three and can legitimately dream of winning their second title.