45+2' - Half time - DRC hold a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to a brilliant goal from Mechak Elia.

45+1' - Yellow card - Mali's Issaka Samake is booked for pulling down Mechak Elia. He was the last defender so he's probably lucky it was not red...

42' - A good spell of pressure from Mali, but they are unable to create any clear openings just yet.

37' - Jonathan Bolingi drives a left-footed volley at goal, but Djigui Diarra makes a fine save at his near post!

35' - Ley Matampi makes a spectacular save from a long-range attempt, before Abdoulaye Diarra shoots the rebound straight back at the goalkeeper.

33' - Zacharie Mombo tries to make it 2-0 to DRC, but he drags his shot wide of the mark after a promising attack from the team in blue and red.

29' - GOAL! DRC 1-0 Mali - What a screamer from Mechak Elia! He picks up a long ball down the left, cuts inside and fires a rocket past Djigui Diarra from a tight angle! One of the goals of the tournament!

23' - Midway through the first half, still goalless at a rainy Amahoro Stadium between DRC and Mali.

20' - Aliou Dieng and Nelson Munganga have a nasty clash of heads in an aerial challenge - both players are receiving attention.

15' - Mamadou Coulibaly with a tackle on Nelson Munganga that would more suited to a rugby game, but it's only a foul.

10' - A clever lob puts Mamadou Coulibaly in on goal, but his attempt to chip the on-rushing Ley Matampi travels off target! A great chance wasted for the Eagles!

9' - Mali's Mamadou Coulibaly with a left-footed effort which flashes just wide of goalkeeper Ley Matampi's left-hand post.

8' - Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra flaps at a cross, but the DRC attacker aren't quite in the right place to take advantage of his mistake.

5' - So close to an opening goal for the DRC, with Mechak Elia heading just over the bar from Zacharie Mombo's left-flank cross!

2' - Mali's Aliou Dieng has the first shot in anger, but his long-range effort is well off target.

1' - Kick-off - We are underway in Kigali! DRC wear blue and red, while Mali are in all-yellow.

52' - Ley Matampi with an acrobatic piece of work to keep out a Mali cross that threatened to drift into the net.

50' - Five minutes into the second half, both side still looking to settle back into a rhythm after the interval.

46' - The second half is underway in Kigali. Neither team has made any changes at the break.

45+2' - Half time - DRC hold a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to a brilliant goal from Mechak Elia

Mali, commonly known by the nickname Les Aigles (The Eagles), will be making their third appearance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) this year. Mali booked their place in Rwanda with wins over Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania in the qualifiers and will be eager to improve on reaching the quarterfinals in South Africa two years ago. The West Africans were eliminated in the group stages in their maiden appearance in Sudan 2011. The Eagles are coached by Frenchman Alain Giresse. Mali have never qualified for the World Cup and have yet to lift the African Cup of Nations despite finishing within the top four on six occasions, ending third at both the 2012 and 2013 events.

Sunday Feb 07, 2016. 20:30

DR Congo became the first team to win two African Nations Championship titles after crushing Mali 3-0 in the 2016 final at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Sunday evening.

The Leopards – who claimed their first title in the inaugural CHAN tournament in the Ivory Coast in 2009 – secured the emphatic win thanks to a brace from the brilliant Mechak Elia and a fine strike by Jonathan Bolingi.

The first clear chance of the game went the way of DRC after just five minutes, with Zacharie Mombo providing a fine cross from the left flank to pick out Mechak Elia, but the forward put his header just over the crossbar.

Mali then had a couple of chances for Mamdou Coulibaly, the second of which saw him run onto a clever lob over the defence before steering a chip just off target as DRC goalkeeper Ley Matampi sprinted off his line to put the forward under pressure.

On 29 minutes the Leopards broke the deadlock with one of the best goals of the tournament. Mecjak Elia sprinted onto a long ball down the left flank, cut inside one defender and sent an unstoppable right-footed shot beyond Djigui Diarra from a tight angle.

Mali missed out on a good chance to equalise on 35 minutes, with Matampi saving from a long-range effort but only succeeding in allowing the ball to bounce freely in the danger area, yet Abdoulaye Diarra’s follow-up was straight at the Leopards ‘keeper.

DRC doubled their advantage just after the hour mark and it was Elia who again found the back of the net, running onto a great through ball from midfield before rounding the goalkeeper and coolly finishing to make it 2-0.

On 73 minutes the Leopards killed off the match as a contest, with Jonathan Bolingi firing home a low shot from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 and wrap up the scoring in what was very much a one-sided final.

I Salute you op robosky02. Be like say na only u waka come for this thread.Sorry say we didnt join u in the commentaries. We were covering d epic battle at Stamford bridge. I only watched d 1st 30mins of this game; switched over to d Che vs ManU game only for me to jst remember now as i saw the topic of this thread that I was watching this game earlier on

So DRC finally won eh? Good for them, though i would have loved Mali to win it.

DR Congo champion of Africa for the second time.

TheCongo2:
DR Congo champion of Africa for the second time.

good league

TP Mazembe on parade...

robosky02:



good league

TP Mazembe on parade...

Foreign players are the are the backbone of the DR Congo soccer league. We have players from Ghana, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Mali, Zambia and to my surprise we don't have many players from Nigeria.

When TP Mazembe won this year African trophy, there was only 2 Congolese players in its line-up. The players were from Ghana, Zambia and Mali.

good but Mazembe is Congo national team in disguise

TheCongo2:


Foreign players are the are the backbone of the DR Congo soccer league. We have players from Ghana, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Mali, Zambia and to my surprise we don't have many players from Nigeria.

When TP Mazembe won this year African trophy, there was only 2 Congolese players in its line-up. The players were from Ghana, Zambia and Mali.

robosky02:
good but Mazembe is Congo national team in disguise

It used to be the Congo national team in disguise but not any more. Now, it is more of an African selection with very few Congolese players.

So this competition has reach Final

SurefireAsoOke:
So this competition has reach Final

It has ended

DR Congo 3 vs 0 Mali

DR Congo Champions

hope you are in touch with happenings in DR Congo

TheCongo2:


It used to be the Congo national team in disguise but not any more. Now, it is more of an African selection with very few Congolese players.

TheCongo2:
DR Congo champion of Africa for the second time.

Great!