2023 AFCON: South Africa to battle DR Congo for bronze medal

South Africa is aiming to recount their 2000 success by winning the bronze medal, while DR Congo is looking to secure their first podium finish since 2015 when they finished third.

The Félix Houphouët Boigny stadium in Abidjan will host the third-place playoff between South Africa and DR Congo at 20:00 GMT.

DR Congo coach Sébastien Desabre sees

Read full articlethis as an opportunity for his team to leave the competition on a positive note. It is also a homecoming for Desabre, who previously enjoyed success at the same facility in a club competition.

The CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d'Ivoire 2023 will conclude on Sunday, with the last podium place up for grabs.

DR Congo coach Sébastien Desabre is urging his players to win this "small final" and end the competition on a positive note.

Desabre said, "We have come a long way, we have shown good things and we do not want a grain of sand to derail the machine. We will give everything to bring this medal home and present it to the Congolese people who are passionate about football."

His counterpart Hugo Broos believes that the mental recovery from the heartbreaking semi-final loss will be key to clinching third place.

Broos, who guided South Africa to their first semi-final since 2000, said, "We played a very good game against Nigeria. It was a great performance and we showed that we are a great team again. When you exit after 120 minutes, it’s always a huge disappointment. When you play so well, the disappointment is so big. The game (third place) is special. It depends a bit on which team will be mentally recovered because also for DRC, it was difficult to lose like that."

South Africa will be without their center-back Grant Kekana, who saw red in the semis for a last-man challenge. They lost 4-2 to Nigeria after a dramatic 1-1 draw in Bouake. Meanwhile, DR Congo lost 1-0 after a hard-fought encounter with the hosts, Cote d'Ivoire.