The Leopards succumbed 1-0 to the tournament hosts in Wednesday’s semi-final, with Sebastien Haller scoring the winner.

It means DR Congo missed a shot at a third continental crown.

Instead, Desabre and his players were left crestfallen after exiting despite a spirited display. “My first impression is disappointment, considering the course of the match,” lamented the Frenchman.

Desabre pointed to multiple chances spurned in the first half as proving pivotal. Cedric Bakambu had a goal harshly disallowed before Yoane Wissa wasted a glorious one-on-one.

“We didn’t take advantage of our momentum,” rued Desabre. “We tried to equalize all the offensive weapons by changing the system, making substitutions, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

Despite the heartbreak, Desabre praised the performance and effort of his Congolese warriors. He acknowledged they faced brilliant opponents in Elephants.

“It must be recognized that a great team from Cote d’Ivoire was facing us. It didn’t come down to much. We’re disappointed tonight; we could have achieved a better result,” Desabre conceded.

Attention now turns to securing third place when DR Congo faces South Africa on Saturday. “We are competitors; we need to regroup quickly. We have a match on Saturday to secure third place,” stated Desabre defiantly.

We are reaching the last four capped impressive progress for DR Congo in Desabre’s first tournament. The Frenchman has molded a youthful, dynamic team that could leave AFCON 2023 with heads held high.