DR Congo reached the knockout stage of the 2023Africa Cup of Nations after a goalless draw with Tanzania at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.

The East Africans were out because they didn’t win, which was necessary for them to move on.

Two points were enough for DR Congo to come in second place in Group F. Morocco, with a 1-0 win over Zambia, took first place.

What’s in it for the Leopards? A match against Egypt in the round of 16. Morocco will play South Africa.

Even though they didn’t win their group, Ivory Coast made it into the second round as the last of the four best third-place teams.

The Elephants fired their manager, Jean-Louis Gasset, earlier on Wednesday because they finished third in Group A. On Monday, they will play Senegal, the defending champions, in the round of 16.

In what was the first Nations Cup finals match between the two countries, the game was dull and there weren’t many clear chances for either team to break the tie.

Thanks to a loud and energetic group of supporters that was many times bigger than the group supporting Tanzania, DR Congo had the better chances in the first half.

Gael Kakuta hit a free kick straight at Aishi Manula, the custodian for Taifa Stars. Manula quickly moved out of the way to stop Fiston Mayele’s shot right on the edge of his own penalty area.

After Kakuta’s smart through ball, Yoane Wissa was able to cut inside and shoot, but his shot was scuffed.

Tanzania’s captain Mbwana Samatta had the best chance, spinning in the box and shooting over from a tight angle. There weren’t many chances in the second half until Wissa made two late ones.

First, he forced Manula to make another good save by diving full-length to block a chipped shot. Then, after a scramble from a corner, he scored straight away.

As the light mist fell on the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, though, it didn’t look like either team would score.

Tanzania kept a clean sheet in their first Nations Cup game, but they still haven’t won any of their nine games at the tournament and finished last in their group.

Winners two times DR Congo has made it to the knockout stage five times in the last six finals. They will be confident that they can beat an Egypt team that is missing Mohamed Salah when they play on Sunday in San Pedro.

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix