"Bravo to my players!" DR Congo U-20 coach Bukasa hails team after historic run
- Omna Taddele
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
DR Congo U-20 national team head coach Guy Bukasa commended his players after Monday's loss to South Africa in the quarterfinals of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. An extra time goal eliminated the Congolese side from the tournament.
Bukasa stated that his national side deserved respect for their achievements in the U-20 AFCON:
“Listen, I am satisfied with my players. Honestly, a tribute to these boys—a tribute to the 24 soldiers who came to Egypt, and even to those who couldn’t make it. I think they outdid themselves. They were subjected to certain demands in terms of lifestyle and discipline. Because, you know, with us, that kind of structure and regularity is not yet part of the youth teams’ culture. These are boys who didn’t play at a high level in the U17s. We tried to put something in place. Unfortunately, it ends here. It ends here. Bravo to my players! They’ve made history.”
Bukasa further noted that DR Congo fought hard until the final whistle but lacked the finishing touch. “They earned the right to play these 120 high-quality minutes. I think we played really well. What we lacked was efficiency—putting the ball in the back of the net. In the future, when they move up to the next level, with other coaches of course, they will be able to apply what they learned here. Truly, a well-deserved tribute to my players. They fought until the very last minute.”
The Congo coach also praised South Africa and the way their opponents performed during the quarterfinal match. “In our analysis, we saw that it was a very intense match. Two quality teams. South Africa, in this competition, is one of the teams that plays beautiful football—I would even say very beautiful football. Since their U-17 days, it is a country I know very well. They work well, consistently. They are regulars in COSAFA tournaments.”
Bukasa also took time to reflect on youth football in the UNIFFAC region:
“In UNIFFAC, there is almost no organization. I think that was even visible with the UNIFFAC teams at U17 level—they were all eliminated in the first round. It was not pretty. I am very proud of my boys because we are the only UNIFFAC team that held on until the last minute. In the end, the balance of power showed in the other zones.”
The quarterfinal finish at the 2025 edition of the U-20 AFCON is the best result DR Congo has achieved in their history at the competition.