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The DRC was held in check by Mauritania, for the 4th day of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers. The Leopards ended this match with 10 players because the striker, Cedric Bakambu was red-carded on a contentious action. The Congolese defender Arthur Masuaku went to the frontline on the case.
The Leopards are in a tricky situation for qualification to the 2023 AFCON. The DRC was forced to draw against Mauritania (1-1). The men of Sebastien Desabre have lost Cedric Bakambu, author of the goal, in the 59th minute. The striker received a red card after a contentious action.
The 31-year-old striker put pressure on the goalkeeper after a back-pass from a Mauritanian defender was not strong enough. While Bakambu withdrew his foot to avoid touching the goalkeeper, who had illegally grabbed the ball by hand after a deliberate pass from a teammate, Babacar Mbaye threw himself to the ground in a grotesque simulation. The central referee fell into the trap and after a scuffle between players of both teams gave a second yellow card to the player of Olympiacos.
A refereeing decision that has put Arthur Masuaku in a state of worry. "Beyond the result: maybe we would have won, maybe not, that's soccer. But decisions like these are detrimental to our competitions and our teams, which already have enough problems to add to them on the field. Respect us and our sport. The goalkeeper takes the ball in his hand on a voluntary back pass? Cedric doesn't touch it and gets a second yellow on top of that? How to accept that in 2023 honestly? " he hammered in a series of messages posted on social networks, reported by RMC Sport.
The Congolese have reason to criticize the arbitration. The DRC should even have benefited from a penalty. Bakambu was mowed down towards the post by the Mauritanian goalkeeper. Still during the first half, the striker took a shot after beating the goalkeeper. But the former OM player was denied the breakthrough goal by a defender's hand...not whistled by the referee.
With this draw, the DRC is back to the wall. Last in Group I with four points, the Leopards will have to win against Gabon and Sudan in the 5th and 6th day of the qualifiers if they must show up in Ivory Coast.
