Not many people gave Congo and DR Congo much of a chance to get this far in the hotly contested CAN tournament. Now, both are in the quarter finals courtesy of a steely resolve to improve their image and reputation as African footballing countries. To be able to understand which Congo might get the better their neighbor on Saturday the 31st, it is useful to look at how they got to where they are.
Congo was placed in a relatively challenging Group A with Burkina Faso, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Their first game was against the hosts, and ended with the teams getting a point each. It was not the best result to get vs. Eq. Guinea but the 1-1 result gave them a platform to build on. And build they did.
The Red Devils of African delivered a major surprise, beating Aubameyang-led Gabon by a goal to nil in their second match. Buoyed by this performance, they defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 to win the group with seven points out of a possible nine. The group stage could not have gone any better for Congo.
Congo DR’s group stage performance was not as impressive as that of their smaller neighbors but to be able to hold their own in a Group B containing the likes of Tunisia, Cape Verde and 2012 winners Zambia is no mean feat.
Though The Leopards could not conjure the attacking verve they showed during their shocking 4-3 win over Ivory Coast in the qualification rounds, their defensive solidity allowed them to register three invaluable draws from their three games and finish second to group winners Tunisia.
While the smaller Congo is clearly the stronger of the two, in a tournament like this year’s AFCON where many duels have been won on the back of defensive astuteness rather than brilliant attacking football, DR Congo has all the reason to hope for a result.
Congo vs DR Congo team sheets
Congo's lineup: Mafoumbi, Moubhibo, Moutou, Bissiki, Oniangue, N'Dinga, Dore, Litsingi, Bifouma, Baudry, Babele.
DR Congo's lineup: Kidiaba, Mpeko, Kasusula, Makiadi, Mbokani, Bolasie, Zakuani, Mongongu, Cedric, Bokila, Mangulu.
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