DR Congo defender, Axel Tuanzebe, has admitted the Leopards are devastated after their World Cup campaign ended in a dramatic 2-1 defeat to England, insisting the team believe they let a famous victory slip away.
Head coach Sebastien Desabre also praised his players for their determined display despite the painful elimination at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
DR Congo made the perfect start when Brian Cipenga found the net in the seventh minute, but they were unable to build on their advantage.
England eventually turned the contest around through two late goals from captain Harry Kane.
Reflecting on the defeat, Tuanzebe admitted the players were most disappointed by their failure to make the most of their first-half opportunities.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Tuanzebe said, “Ultimately we’re kicking ourselves more so because we felt we should’ve definitely held out the game.
Probably should’ve finished it in the first half as well but it was unfortunate it was not meant to be for us today but we’ll look on this and think how we can build for future tournaments.”
Although DR Congo went into the break with a 1-0 lead, England controlled much of the game, enjoying 60 per cent possession and repeatedly testing the African side’s defence before completing their comeback.
Tuanzebe acknowledged that constantly defending against players of England’s quality was always going to be difficult.
“I think we’ll definitely learn from this and continue attacking the game, especially early on because having to defend wave of attack after attack against this calibre of players they will prevail and they did so today,” he added.
Desabre also expressed his disappointment after watching his side surrender their advantage late in the match but commended the players for their commitment throughout the tournament.
DR Congo reached the knockout stage after finishing third in Group K with four points, behind Colombia and Portugal, and the coach believes the experience will benefit the squad going forward.
Desabre said, “We are disappointed because we believed in it. We played a good match. At the end of the match, we concede two situations and one of the best players in the world scores two goals against us. It’s a shame. You have to congratulate the players for what they showed. They gained a lot of experience playing against teams like that.”
Despite the heartbreaking exit, Desabre remains confident the lessons from facing elite opposition will help DR Congo grow ahead of future competitions, while England advance to the last 16 to face Mexico.
