The third place play-off has never been the most loved of games- two losing semi-finalists have to come and pretend failing to make the final doesn’t sting. Judging by the celebration by the DRC after the final whistle though, it seems like they do not mind the bronze medal one bit.
After 90 minutes of football that did not feature all that much action, the game moved straight to the dreaded penalty shootouts. The hosts’ showed a remarkable lack of composure from the spot, losing to the DRC by 4-2.
Having both lost semi-finals to more illustrious opponents, neither side seemed particularly driven to pick that third place. Equatorial Guinea looked a little livelier, but the game suffered from a lack of chances that made it into a snooze fest.
The closest anyone got was when Congolese midfielder Cedrick Mabwati made an insane run through the home defence, but then elected to pass when one-on-one with Felipe Ovono. The pass caught Mbokani a off guard, and he was unable to finish the opportunity.
