Gael Kakuta left the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat with a broad smile and the Man of the Match award after producing a brilliant display in DR Congo’s 3–0 win over Botswana in their final Group D game.
His performance, capped by two goals and an assist, helped Les Leopards secure second place in the group and a Round of 16 tie against Algeria.
Kakuta was involved from the start, constantly demanding the ball and knitting attacks together. His audacious backheel pass sliced open the Botswana defence for Nathaniel Mbuku to slide in the opener after 31 minutes, a goal that rewarded DR Congo’s aggressive, front-foot approach.
Shortly before half-time, he showed his composure from the spot, calmly converting a penalty given after a VAR review for handball, sending DR Congo into the break with a comfortable cushion.
After the interval, Kakuta stayed central to everything his side did well. On the hour mark he controlled Theo Bongonda’s cross inside the area before picking his spot to complete his brace and effectively kill the contest.
Reflecting afterwards, he spoke of collective strength, noting that several changes had been made to the team.
“All glory be to God. I wasn’t supposed to be in the starting 11, and here I am being named Man of the Match,” he said.
“I would like to highlight our collective strength. Today, we had many changes, but we stayed the course.”
