Forgotten derby: the face-to-face between the DRC and Zambia in the African Cup of Nations
This Wednesday, in San Pedro, the DRC will meet Zambia, in a match on the first day of CAN 2023 in group F. This meeting is of particular importance because it is a derby between the two neighboring countries, a a clash rarely mentioned despite the geographical proximity. Indeed, the two teams have only crossed paths very rarely over the years. The last confrontation dates back to CAN 2015, during the group stage. Before diving into the details of this forgotten derby, let’s look back at the journey of the two teams.
Zambia, African champion in 2012, made history by winning the CAN trophy in an unprecedented final against Ivory Coast. However, since this victory, the Zambian team’s fame has faded, overshadowed by recent failures in competition. The Leopards of the DRC, for their part, are still eagerly awaited despite their last success in the African Cup of Nations dating back to 1974. They still have one more trophy than Zambia, acquired after a victory in the final against the -this.
Today, we see that the gap is widening slightly between the two teams. Although neither are considered favorites to win the tournament, the DRC displays a more interesting dynamic than Zambia, who are also looking to return to form after three failed editions of the AFCON. If we look at the current FIFA rankings, we see that the DRC is ranked 67th in the world and 14th in Africa, while Zambia is ranked 84th globally and 17th on the continent. These figures underline the theoretical advantage enjoyed by the DRC compared to its neighbor.
Meetings between the DRC and Zambia are among the rarest in Africa. Despite their geographical proximity, the two countries do not maintain a sporting rivalry, mainly due to the low number of matches played between them. Since the start of the 21st century, there have only been two official confrontations between the two teams, one in CHAN (2009) and one in CAN (2015). Surprisingly, the last friendly match between the two teams was in 2008. In light of these figures, it is clear that matches between the DRC and Zambia are rare.
To find clashes between Zambia and the DRC, we have to go back in history. In 1974, during the CAN final held in Egypt, the Leopards won a remarkable victory by winning 2-0 against the Chipolopolo. This victory allowed them to win their second continental trophy. There have been other historic confrontations between the two teams, notably in 1969 where the DRC won a crushing 10-1 victory in a friendly match.
In summary, out of the 7 matches recorded between the DRC and Zambia, the DRC has 3 victories, including 2 in official matches.. The two teams also drew three times and the DRC suffered a defeat in a friendly match. It is interesting to note the historical aspect of these confrontations, which are often forgotten due to their rarity.
The match between the DRC and Zambia in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations therefore offers a rare opportunity to see these two teams face each other again. There are many issues at stake, and only the match will tell us who will emerge victorious from this forgotten derby.
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