Sebastien Desabre concedes D.R Congo played ‘superior’ Colombia in World Cup defeat

[p]The Leopards, who had picked a vital point from their group opener against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a], produced a disciplined and courageous performance but were ultimately edged out after a late goal settled a tightly contested battle.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a]'s frustrations were beginning to show when Daniel Munoz broke Lionel Mpasi’s stubborn resistance, scoring with a deflected strike after intelligent hold-up play from substitute Jhon Cordoba.[/p][p][b]Luis Diaz had two goals ruled out for offside as Colombia withstood a late wave of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]D.R Congo[/a] pressure to seal a top-two spot in Group K ahead of their meeting with Portugal.[/b][/p][h2]‘Colombia were superior than us’[/h2][p]Desabre admitted that Colombia was the better team on the night, citing their excellent possession play.[/p][p][b]“It was a difficult match for us. We played against a very good team. They were superior,” [/b]Desabre told reporters as quoted by FIFA.com.[/p][p][b]“First, we will recover. The next match will be here quickly. We’ll need to take risks. A draw will not be enough. We need to analyze ourselves now and move forward.[/b][/p][p]“We’ll be prepared against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uzbekistan/EZYKKRMc/"]Uzbekistan[/a]. They have some great defenders.”[/p][embed guid="6aa9821b-4806-49bd-97f5-13d78fa233c7" url="https://x.com/FIFAWC26Updates/status/2069637504463200591" social-type="twitter" /][p]Desabre added: [b]“It would have been good to get a draw, but we must recognize that Colombia was superior. They have an excellent possession game. We came into the game late.[/b][/p][p]“Our second half was better, but that's football. We have to analyze what happened and move forward.”[/p][p]Desabre concluded: [b]“We are happy to have scored our first goal, and we are using this as a learning experience.[/b][/p][p]“Uzbekistan will be difficult because they defend well but we are going to give our all. Now we have to rest and recover our energy.”[/p][p]Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said after the game: [b]“I want to thank the team for all their effort.[/b][/p][p]“Against teams like this, you have to find the spaces between the lines; if you stick too rigidly to a set play, they’ll counter-attack by exploiting those spaces.[/p][p][b]“We’re very happy - we’re a team that takes the initiative, and we never give up on that approach. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us.”[/b][/p][p]The Leopards have qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice: as Zaire in 1974 and in 2026. They made history in 1974 as the first Sub-Saharan African team to reach the tournament. In 2026, they secured their return via the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.[/p][p][b]In their opening group match against Portugal, Yoane Wissa scored a stoppage-time equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw. This marked DR Congo’s first-ever goal in World Cup history.[/b][/p][p]The Leopards will conclude their group fixtures against Uzbekistan at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/d-r-congo-phn9mm8H/uzbekistan-EZYKKRMc/?mid=hEWfCwid"]Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27th[/a].[/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="a41e5895-a088-46b5-b274-ef7d32af6fb7" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]