DR Congo national team battled to a barren draw against Angola on Tuesday night in an international friendly played in Setúbal, Portugal.
Fresh from another 1-1 stalemate against New Zealand in another friendly last Friday, the Leopards looked to build on that decent result to collect a victory against the Parancas Negras of Angola.
As he prepares his side for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as well as 2023 AFCON assignments, Leopards coach Sebastien Desabre made changes to the line-up that started against the New Zealanders in Spain as he looked to test the depth of his squad.
Desabre handed starting berths new Leopards entrant and French-born goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud who made his debut while Turkish-based Besiktas defender Arthur Masuaku, Simba SC’s Henock Inonga, Edo Kayembe of Watford, William Balikwisha, Jonathan and Simon Banza also made the first eleven.
Captain Chancel Mbemba, Gédéon Kalulu, Samuel Moutoussamy and Elia Meshack also maintain their starting spots in Lisbon.
Jonathan Okita and Elia Meshack had the best chances of the first-half but were caught guilty of lack of not being clinical in front of goal as their close range efforts went wide off target.
Desabre made changes in the second-half with the likes of Cedric Bakambu, Jackson Muleka and Theo Bongonda thrown into action as the Frenchman looked to revitalize his attacking line.
However despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, the Leopards could not find the back of the net at the Estadio Bonfim Setubal.
The Leopards have since broken camp and will regroup next month for the first round of World Cup qualifiers against Mauritania at home and away to Sudan on the 13th and 20th November respectively.
