Tops
He didn’t wait to shine. From the 6th minute of play, on a corner on the left side hit by Hakim Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi, alone in the penalty area, fired a nice volley with his right foot to deceive the vigilance of Lionel Mpasi-Nzau. An achievement which allowed the Atlas Lions to quickly take the advantage in the match and play more freely.
This is what we call “winning” coaching. Trailing (almost) the entire match, the Democratic Republic of Congo managed to equalize thanks to players coming off the bench. In the 76th minute of play, launched from deep, Meschak Elia crossed back, at the penalty spot, for Silas Wamangituka who struck with first intention. His attempt, rather on the ground, deceived Yassine Bounou and allowed the Leopards to snatch the point of the draw (1-1)!
Flops
He can blame himself. Shortly before the break, the Democratic Republic of Congo benefited from a penalty, following a handball from Selim Amallah in his own penalty area, on an eccentric free kick on the right side. Cédric Bakambu, the center forward of the Leopards, has (logically) taken responsibility. The ex-Marseillais tried to find Yassine Bounou’s small right net but his shot, on the ground, crashed into the post…before going out (41st). A missed opportunity which could have changed the face of the meeting.
The image was impressive. In the last minutes of the first half, during a duel, Henoc Inonga Baka suffered a violent blow to the head, which immediately (and profusely) made him bleed. His white tunic quickly turned red. Supported by the trainers, the defender of the Democratic Republic of Congo was able to finish the first act. However, he was forced to give up his place at the break…
