But, the Frenchman isn't settling for less and has asserted his optimism of reaching final. He had prior to the tournament, indicated that he targeted to finish "as far as we can go."
Former Uganda Cranes head coach Sebastien Desabre is one moment away from making the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While making the final would truly be an enormous milestone for Desabre, he can never be faulted should he come short, as reaching the semifinals is already great enough.
But, the Frenchman isn't settling for less and has asserted his optimism of reaching final. He had prior to the tournament, indicated that he targeted to finish "as far as we can go."
His side beat Guinea 3-1 in the quarterfinals to sail through to the last-four of the prestigious tournament.
11:18 - 29.01.2024
Throwing back to when Magogo purportedly called Desabre overrated
He explained that Desabre found a mature team that had just been at the 2017 AFCON finals and a good show in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
"Now it's possible to go at the final," Desabre told the press after the historic win.
Desabre also asserted that his side were the deserved winners, having had to come from a goal down.
09:00 - 29.01.2024
AFCON 2023: Sebastien Desabre's brilliant and emotional reaction after guiding DR Congo to the quarterfinals past Egypt
The Frenchman said he was “happy for the people who are in difficulty in the Eastern part” of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dedicating the qualification of his team to the Congolese population victims of the war.
"I think we had the victory we deserved. We met a great Guinean team who gave us tactical problems."
"It wasn't easy, but the most important thing is to continue on the road,” Desabre added.
Qualified in the semifinal, the Congolese will either face the Eagles of Mali or the Elephants of Ivory Coast next Wednesday, February 7.