DR CONGO announced the death of their manager’s father during the press conference after the defeat to England.
The African nation almost pulled off an almighty upset against the Three Lions.
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Sebastien Desabre’s father passed away Credit: Reuters
His DR Congo side were knocked out by England after taking an early lead Credit: Reuters
They led for nearly 70 minutes in Atlanta before Harry Kane equalised and then blasted home his emphatic winner in the 86th minute to complete the turnaround.
It was a heroic effort from Sebastien Desabre’s side in their first World Cup appearance since 1974 under their former name Zaire.
However, the proud moment was tarnished by the tragic news about his dad.
It is unknown exactly when Desabre, 49, found out.
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But he spoke to the media after the game – and the family bereavement was confirmed at the end of the press conference.
A media officer said in French: “Thank you but we are announcing that the coach has lost his father.
“So sincere condolences.”
The press conference was then terminated.
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Desabre appeared shocked that the personal news was announced publicly to the media and added a polite “merci” – ‘thank you’ – before departing.
And DR Congo fans sent their best wishes given the sad update.
One said: “Sad news, my deepest condolences to him and his family.”
Another wrote: “He was only told the news after the match. Courage, coach, and above all, thank you so much for everything!”
A third added: “Oh man, that’s tough on him.”
And a final user replied: “All our thoughts and support go to him and his family during this ordeal.”
Desabre thanked his players and the entire nation for their proud run to the knockout stages.
He said: “Today it’s true that we are disappointed because we believed in it, and I think we played a good match.
“And at the end, we conceded two situations and one of the best players in the world scored two goals against us.
“It is time to congratulate the players for what they showed. They gained a lot of experience in competitions and playing against teams like that, and Congolese football is built this way.
“We might have lacked a little bit of experience at the end, but that’s the history of football. We learn, and we continue to progress, and we continue our journey calmly.
“We fought in the image of the Congolese people. I think we put forward good football today against one of the best teams in the world, and we fought, and that’s what we will remember about Congo.”
