World Cup 2026 qualifiers: A Samuel Essende affair among the Leopards

Forward Samuel Essende was not selected by the DRC coach, Sébastien Desabre, for the match against South Sudan for the 5th round of the World Cup qualifiers.

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The Leopards secured the narrowest of victories at the Stade des Martyrs thanks to a goal by Theo Bongonda.

According to Congolese sources, the decision to leave out the Augsburg forward was not technical but rather for purely disciplinary reasons.

His presence in the match against Mauritania, for the 6th round, is still not confirmed.

What to know about Samuel Essende?

A product of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) youth academy, the Montfermeil native had several stints in France and Portugal before joining Augsburg during the last summer transfer window for a sum of 4 million euros.

He has participated in 27 matches this season, with a record of 8 goals and 3 assists.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.