Democratic Republic of Congo coach Otis Ngoma says there is no cause for alarm after his side’s shaky start at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship – Algeria 2022 (CHAN) on Saturday.
Ngoma’s side settled for a barren draw against Uganda in Group B. Senegal top the pool after beating 1-0 in their opening match.
The Leopards are widely considered as tournament favorites in the competition meant exclusively for home-based players but they started on flat foot with a goalless draw against the Cranes.
Ngoma’s side are favourites thanks to their record of being the joint winners with Morocco on two titles each while they have played in six out of the all the seven editions of the tournament.
“We have entered the competition with some players who are discovering the level of the competition. There is no fire in the house. It is our first game. We will try to make adjustments so that the next game is better,” the 61-year-old gaffer said in the post match press conference.
The Congolese did not demonstrate their favourite credentials and it would have been worse if Gift Fred’s second half header that struck the upright found the net.
The coach of the two time champions said their arch rivals and neighbours were not pushovers in the match played in Annaba.
“We played against a very physical Ugandan side. They had a group that was very cohesive. They have been playing together for sometime. That showed in the game.
“From the draw, everyone knew this was the Group of Death. The first game is always the game with lots of uncertainty. We wanted to win, but it wasn’t to be. We have a few days to prepare and then face a difficult Cote d’Ivoire team.”
DR Congo will take on a wounded Côte d’Ivoire side in their next group game on Wednesday after the home-based Elephants lost 1-0 to Senegal in the group’s other game on Saturday.
