Chile beat Congo DR 2-1 on Tuesday, giving Ricardo Gareca’s side a positive finish to their European swing and a clearer read on who can tilt matches late.
The tone was set even before the opening whistle when Guillermo Maripán collected a yellow card five minutes prior to kick-off for arguing, a flashpoint that underlined how much both benches wanted a proper contest despite the friendly tag.
Sébastien Desabre started in a 4-3-3 with Yoane Wissa flanked by Théo Bongonda and Nathanaël Mbuku, and the Leopards pressed high from the first kick. Chile mirrored the shape in their own 4-3-3 and relied on Vicente Pizarro and Víctor Felipe Méndez to establish rhythm. Fouls interrupted the flow, including Darío Osorio’s booking in the 38th minute, yet the Chilean front line kept stretching the pitch.
The breakthrough arrived in the 51st minute. Gonzalo Tapia spotted Osorio pulling into space and slid the pass that the midfielder tucked past Lionel Mpasi Nzau. Moments later, Osorio made way for Maximiliano Gutiérrez in the 65th minute after completing his decisive shift.
Desabre responded aggressively: Meschak Elia, Edo Kayembe and Cédric Bakambu all entered at half-time, then Brian Cipenga and Gaël Kakuta followed in the 58th minute. The fresh legs tilted the territory battle, demanding a string of interventions from Lawrence Vigouroux as Congo DR pushed Chile back.
Gareca trusted his bench just as the momentum threatened to turn. In the 78th minute he sent on four players together, including Matías Sepúlveda and Rodrigo Echeverría. Within eight minutes that gamble paid off when Sepúlveda found a pocket atop the box and scored in the 86th minute to double the lead.
Congo DR refused to fold. Cipenga drove down the left and in the 88th minute slipped the ball to Joris Kayembe for a neat finish that beat Vigouroux and restored hope. Bakambu’s yellow card for handball in the 90th minute halted the final surge, and Chile managed the remaining seconds.
Tactically, Chile’s wide rotations were crucial. Osorio and Lucas Cepeda repeatedly swapped flanks to drag Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Kayembe away from the central channel where Tapia could carry the ball. Méndez and Pizarro screened transitions intelligently until their withdrawal, and substitute Felipe Loyola nailed down the right flank late on. For Congo DR, the second-half reshuffle with Bakambu central and Elia drifting wide injected the direct running that unsettled Francisco Sierralta, but the finishing touch arrived too late to alter the result.
Discipline mattered. Beyond Maripán’s early caution and Osorio’s 38th-minute booking, Cepeda was carded for dissent in the 63rd minute and Bakambu’s handball offense at 90 minutes snuffed out a promising restart. Chile’s composure, especially after their 78th-minute wave of changes, kept them in control when it mattered most.
Statistics
- Shots on target: Congo DR 4, Chile 3
- Possession: 50 percent each
- Corners: Congo DR 7, Chile 2
- Fouls: 16 apiece
- Saves: Vigouroux 3, Mpasi Nzau 1
Chile move on with a positive read on their depth while they wait for the next pre-World Cup test. Desabre’s side showed enough during that furious final quarter-hour to believe they can tidy the details before competitive action resumes, starting with tightening the structure behind Bakambu. Elsewhere in friendly play on Tuesday, you can revisit Russia vs Trinidad and Tobago for more on the regional picture.
