On Saturday, the DR Congo national team heightened up their preparations for this month’s 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament as they faced Angola in an international friendly played in Al Aweer, United Arab Emirates.
Sebastien Desabre’s charges battled to a barren draw against the Angolans at the Shabab Al Ahli Stadium in what was the second scoreless stalemate result between the two sides in just a space of over two months.
The two sides met earlier in October and played to another scoreless draw in Portugal prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
On Saturday, Desabre assembled a strong starting eleven with the usual starters including captain Chancel Mbemba, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy as well as attacker Theo Bongonda leading the pack.
The match was tightly contested with Desabre using the match to test the depth of his squad ahead of the crucial assignment in Ivory Coast next week.
The French gaffer made several changes during the match with much of his 23-member squad getting a chance on the field as the Leopards and the Palancas Negras battled to break each other’s defences.
Turkish-based Galatasaray star Cedric Bakambu is one of the few that did not take part in the match as he was given time off having only arrived in Dubai a day earlier.
Desabre continue their preparations for the AFCON in Dubai and will next up face Burkina Faso in another international friendly before heading to San Pédro where they will be based during the tournament.
The Leopards are in Group F at the tournament and will face heavyweights Morocco, Zambia and Tanzania at the tournament that gets underway on the 13th of January, 2024.
