DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre received the news of his father’s death at a press conference after the World Cup defeat to England. Under his coaching, the team created history by reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup after 52 years.
New York: After the defeat against England in the World Cup, another bad news came for Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) coach Sebastien Desabre. He received the news of his father’s death live during the post-match press conference. This moment became one of the most emotional moments of the World Cup press conference.
Despite the disappointment of losing the match, Desabre was calmly answering the questions of the journalists. Then at the end of the press conference, the team’s press officer announced on the microphone in French, “We thank you all, but we have a sad news to share. Our coach’s father has passed away. Our deepest condolences are with him.”
On hearing this, DeSabre remained completely stunned for a few moments. He tried hard to control his emotions in front of the cameras. Then he just said ‘Thank you’ in a trembling voice and immediately finished the press conference and got up from there. According to reports, as soon as he received the news, he left for the airport to return to his country.
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Although Desabre’s World Cup journey ended in personal tragedy, the 49-year-old French coach has revolutionized Congolese football. This was the first time since 1974 (ie after 52 years) that Congo had qualified for the World Cup. It was under Desabre’s coaching that the team scored its first goal in this World Cup, registered its first win and reached the knockout stage for the first time in history.
Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi’s brilliant save in the match is also being considered as one of the best defensive performances of this World Cup. “We are more proud than disappointed,” Désabre said at the press conference, “and Congo’s performance proves that to be true.”
In the knockout (round of 32) match, Congo gave a tough fight to the strong England. By scoring a goal in the 7th minute, the team maintained a 1-0 lead till the 75th minute. The football world was expecting a big upset, but then England captain Harry Kane emerged as the villain. He scored the equalizing goal in the 75th minute and then the winning goal in the 86th minute, giving England a thrilling 2-1 victory. With this, Congo’s World Cup dream ended just before the pre-quarterfinals.