Shocking news as DR Congo manager loses father after England defeat

Following a hard-fought 2-1 defeat by England in the round of 32, Desabre was fielding questions from the media when a team official unexpectedly shared the tragic news about his father's passing.

Against England, DR Congo took a first-half lead through Brian Cipenga and nearly doubled it when Newcastle's Yoane Wissa struck the post. 

Despite a heroic performance from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, two goals from Harry Kane ultimately ended their campaign.

In a moment that quickly went viral, the DR Congo communications manager concluded the press conference by stating, "Thank you. However, we are informing you that the coach has lost his father; our sincere condolences."

Desabre, who appeared visibly taken aback, paused before quietly responding, "Merci," and then left the room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. It was not immediately clear if he had been previously informed of the news.

Despite the result, Desabre expressed pride in his team's performance. "We're disappointed because we believed we could do it," he said.

"Perhaps we lacked a bit of experience at the end, but that's football. We learn, we continue to improve, and we move forward calmly."

"We fought like the Congolese people. We played good football today against one of the best teams in the world. That's what we'll remember," he added.

Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe echoed the sentiment of a missed opportunity. "Ultimately, we're kicking ourselves more so because we felt we should've definitely held out on the game," he commented. 

"Probably should've finished it in the first half as well, but it was unfortunate it was not meant to be for us today. We'll look at this and think about how we can build for future tournaments."