Highlights and goal: DR Congo 1-0 Mali in Internationel Friendly

We're leaving! This was the coverage of the international friendly between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali.          

 

Le but de Samuel Essende face au Mali en vidéo. 🇨🇩🎥⚽️ pic.twitter.com/wF9McR9WU8

— 🏆 Actu Foot Afrique (@ActuFootAfrique) June 5, 2025

DR Congo defeated Mali 1-0 in the teams' last international friendly. The "Leopards" extended their unbeaten streak to five, while the "Eagles" ended their three-game unbeaten streak.

The referee added four more minutes from now on.

The match, considering the substitutions on both sides, didn't have many interruptions and was played quite fluidly.

Mali went all out in search of an equalizer in the closing stages of the match against a DR Congo side that knew how to inflict damage to take the lead, and even though they were looking for a second, they always defended well.

Despite Mali's more aggressive stance in search of an equalizer and DR Congo's lack of change in attack, the match remained scoreless, and the lead is minimal.

With the changes, Mali is looking for the goal that will allow them to level the score. On the other side, DR Congo remains unchanged and makes substitutions to maintain their form.

Noah Sadiki and Samuel Essende came on for Charles Pickel and Cédric Bakambu. This is the second and third change for DR Congo, which still has two substitutions available and a window to make them.

Lassine Diarra and Moussa Sylia came on for Doumbia and Dante. These are the first changes for Mali, who still have three substitutions available and two windows to make them.

After a few difficult opening minutes of the second half, Mali settled a little better on the field and moved their lines forward to play in the DR Congo half.

DR Congo started with a more attacking stance and went in search of a second goal against a Mali team that finished the first half well but is feeling uncomfortable on the pitch in the second half.

The referee gave the signal, and the second 45 minutes are now underway.

There were no changes for either team, so the same starting eleven will remain. The match at the Omnisports Stadium Source

With DR Congo partially ahead 1-0, the referee called time on the first half.

The Leopards were effective and, in the quiet moments, took control of the game slightly more often than Mali.

The referee added four more minutes from now on.

Due to the injury to the DR Congo striker and the goal that took so long to restart, it was decided to add a few more minutes.

After a slight increase in intensity from Mali, DR Congo regained some of the control they had shown since the 25th minute and went into the break with the lead.  

With DR Congo's goal giving them the lead before the first half-hour, Mali responded with a comeback, looking for an equalizer before halftime.

Forward Yoanne Wissa came on for injured striker Théo Bongonda. This is the first change in DR Congo, which still has four possible substitutions and two windows in addition to halftime.

After a great run down the right flank, Samuel Essende received the ball with his back to goal at the edge of the box, held off his opponent's marking, turned, and crossed with a right foot shot to put his team ahead.

In these opening minutes, there's still no clear dominance, and possession has been even, with Mali taking a slightly stronger lead, but neither side is creating any danger.

At the Omnisports Stadium Source, the score remains tied, but both teams are gradually improving as they look to win this friendly, which is crucial for the upcoming season.

The minutes tick by, and the match is still going strong, with two teams having no scoring opportunities in the early going. The scoreboard remains emotionless in these opening minutes.

Still lacking excitement in New Orleans, the game begins to build in the opening minutes, with both teams searching for the first goal of the match. There is still no dominant force in the game.

The players are now in their places, the referee has given the signal, and we're now watching the Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Mali international friendly.

The players are already on the field, ready to kick off another friendly match of this FIFA season. The two teams will face each other in the only friendly before the qualifiers.

Mali vs. Comoros, CAF Qualifiers
Ghana vs. Mali, CAF Qualifiers
Chad vs. Mali, CAF Qualifiers
Mali vs. Madagascar, CAF Qualifiers
Mali vs. Zambia, Africa Cup of Nations

South Sudan vs. DR Congo, CAF Qualifiers
DR Congo vs. Senegal, CAF Qualifiers
Togo vs. DR Congo, CAF Qualifiers
DR Congo vs. Sudan, CAF Qualifiers
DR Congo vs. Benin, Africa Cup of Nations

Before changing in the locker room, the squads are already on the field to go through their pre-match movements before the match.

The starters are warming up the benches for this match. 

 

AMICAL : RD Congo 🇨🇩 - 🇲🇱 Mali : La composition du Mali 🇲🇱

Vos impressions ? pic.twitter.com/Y8kNZBdBJi

— Drissa Niono (@drissaniono) June 5, 2025

 

🚨 La composition de la RD Congo avec Sadiki !

Théo Bongonda, Meschack Elia et Samuel Essende animeront l’attaque congooais.

Afimico Pululu et Axel Tuanzebe ne sont pas sur la feuille de match #RDC #RDCMLI #Congo pic.twitter.com/A9TgjSsHYQ

— LEOPARDSFOOT (@leopardsfoot) June 5, 2025

Central African Republic 0-0 Mali, CAF Qualifiers
Comoros 0-3 Mali, CAF Qualifiers
Mali 0-0 Mauritania, friendly
Mauritiana 1-0 Mali, friendly
Mali 6-0 Eswatini, Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers

Mauritiana 0-2 DR Congo, CAF Qualifiers
DR Congo 1-0 South Sudan, CAF Qualifiers
DR Congo 3-1 Chad, friendly
Chad 1-1 DR Congo, friendly
DR Congo 1-2 Ethiopia, Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers

DR Congo: Bertaud; Ditu, Mbemba, Batubinsika, Masuaku; Pickel, Moutossamy, Kayembe; Elia, Bakambu, and Wissa.

Mali: Diarra; Konaté, Diaby, Niakaté, Diarra; Coulibaly, Dieng, Bissouma; Doumbia, Touré, and Dorgeles.

 

The list is OUT!

Here are the players that have been selected for the friendly against Congo. 🇨🇩🇲🇱

New faces: Woyo Coulibaly, Kalidou Sidibe and Gaoussou Diarra! pic.twitter.com/soeOPUNoM5

— Malian Football 🇲🇱 (@MalianFootball) May 27, 2025

 

[Éliminatoires CdM 2026 & CAN 2025 – 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚́𝙤𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨🐆 ]

Le sélectionneur manager Sébastien Desabre a dévoilé la liste des 26 joueurs convoqués pour le stage du mois de juin à Orléans en France !

Au programme :

⚔️ RDC🇨🇩 vs 🇲🇱Mali – 5 juin
⚔️ RDC🇨🇩 vs… pic.twitter.com/l6vEsmlc46

— Fecofa RDC_Officiel (@FecofaRdc) May 8, 2025

Don't miss the international friendly between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali. The two teams will face each other in the only friendly before the qualifiers.

We will soon share with you the starting lineups for the Republic of Congo vs Mali live match, as well as the latest information from the Omnisports Stadium Source. Don't miss a single detail of the live match update and commentary on VAVEL.

The Republic of Congo vs Mali match will not be broadcast on TV, so if you want to follow the match online on VAVEL         

Here are the schedules of the different countries where you can watch the match:
Argentina: 3:00 pm
Bolivia: 2:00 pm
Brazil: 3:00 pm
Chile: 2:00 pm
Colombia: 1:00 pm
Ecuador: 1:00 pm
USA (ET): 2:00 pm
Spain: 8:00 pm
Mexico: 1:00 pm
Paraguay: 2:00 pm
Peru: 1:00 pm
Uruguay: 3:00 pm
Venezuela: 2:00 pm

Kamory Doumbia, the midfielder who scored a brace in the last 3-0 win over Comoros, will be looking to be decisive again in this key friendly in preparation for the African Qualifiers. The 22-year-old player is going through a good moment at club level with French club Brest and scored a goal not long ago. With the national team, he is the team's top scorer with five goals in six qualifiers and his last goal came on May 10 in a 2-0 win over Lille.

Cédric Bakambu, the Real Betis Spain center forward who has just finished runner-up in the UEFA Conference League, will be looking to score again after a long drought to give his country another victory. The 34-year-old striker has yet to score in this competition and his last goal in his country's jersey was on October 13, 2023 in the friendly against New Zealand that ended 1-1. Currently, he has not scored a goal since April 17 of this year in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Conference League.

These two teams have met eight times over the years in friendly matches like the one they are about to play, as well as in the Africa Cup of Nations. Of the total, Mali won four, Republic of Congo won two and drew the remaining two matches, leaving a difference of two games. The last previous meeting was on January 10, 2023 in a friendly match and Mali, at home, won 1-0.

For the “Eagles”, this match breaks their inactivity since their last encounter: an intense goalless draw against the Central African Republic in March, during the sixth and decisive day of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This match is a crucial test for both teams, who are still keeping hope alive in the race to the World Cup. The Eagles currently occupy fourth place in Group I, with a creditable total of nine points from six matches played. Their sights are set on the summit, where Ghana are six points clear

The “Leopards” have three consecutive victories and one draw between official and friendly matches. They will use this match to strengthen their team in view of the African qualifiers and their chances of qualifying for the next World Cup. In Group B, they are the sole leaders with 13 points from the six matches already played, but Senegal and Sudan are on their heels with one point less each, so what is to come will be key. 

The Republic of Congo vs Mali international friendly match will take place at the Omnisports Stadium Source, inaugurated in 1976, is a French stadium located in the La Source district on the southeastern edge of the city of Orleans, in Loiret. It hosts the home games of the US Orleans soccer club. It also includes an athletics section with track and throwing area.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the live broadcast of the Democratic Republic of Congo vs Mali international friendly.
My name is Gianluca Pantano and I will be hosting the match. We will provide you with pre-match analysis, score updates and live news here on VAVEL.