Linafoot qualifiers: Saint Éloi Lupopo breathe a sigh of relief

With a 1-0 win over Celeste, Lupopo climb to third place

Africa 15 May 2026 at 12:42

The final match of the fourth round of the Linafoot Ligue 1 qualifiers has reached its conclusion. Saint Éloi Lupopo breathed a sigh of relief after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Celeste FC.

An early goal from Jean Benoît was enough to send the fans into celebration. After suffering a 0-1 defeat to Vita Club last week, Saint Éloi Lupopo desperately needed a win to revive their hopes. They accomplished that mission on May 15 at the Tata Raphaël Stadium. This victory propelled Lupopo to third place in the standings.

#RDC: Saint Éloi Lupopo FC from #Lubumbashi, the copper capital of Haut-Katanga in southeastern DR Congo, managed to defeat Celeste FC from #Mbandaka, the capital of Équateur province in the west, by a score of... pic.twitter.com/VZoRFBfNbp
— acp.cd (@acprdcongo) May 15, 2026

In contrast, Celeste find themselves in ever deeper trouble. With just one point and no wins from four rounds, the team remains rooted to the bottom of the table.