DR Congo swiftly turn focus onto knockout clash against England
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ATLANTA, June 27 : Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said preparations for their World Cup round of 32 clash against England would start immediately after Saturday’s dramatic come-from-behind win over Uzbekistan.
The 3-1 triumph in their last Group K match ensured the Congolese qualified as one of the eight best third-placed finishers and set up a clash with Thomas Tuchel's side in Atlanta on Wednesday.
“We’ll start work immediately on preparing. We’ve got a few players in the squad who play at clubs in the English league, so they will help us, but we’ll prepare in the best way we can for what is going to be a very big match for us,” said Desabre, whose side registered their first World Cup victory with Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa scoring twice.
Desabre cut into the first questions in his post-match press conference on Saturday to insist on congratulating and praising his squad.
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“Before answering, I’d like to congratulate my players for their work. It’s a squad that’s been together for four years, and we have always kept on believing.
“The win means a lot to the country, and the victory was quite wonderful. It’s very positive, and we showed a good image of Congo,” he told reporters.
DR Congo had started the clash slowly and went behind after 10 minutes, but Desabre said plans put in place earlier meant he was not concerned.
“Of course, you are never sure of winning, but what is clear is that we made a mistake in giving them too much space early on.
“But since the start of this World Cup, we’ve planned to use players in this match who did not get to play in the first two games (against Portugal and Colombia).
“To have fresh players provided us with an advantage, and it was quite logical that we should go on and win.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Atlanta; Editing by Toby Davis)
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