DR Congo suffered a 2-0 defeat by Uganda in the opening match of a friendly double-header at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium on Friday.
The Leopards made sweeping changes after beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0 and Zimbabwe 2-1 on 24 and 28 September respectively in their Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches.
None of the players who started the win in Harare featured in the starting XI against Uganda. With about 11 established and squad players released, Willy Kambwala, Jordy Makengo, Ezechiel Banzuzi, Stephy Mavididi and Afimico Pululu were handed their first starts, which also represented their first international caps.
Dimitry Bertaud also returned to the team, taking his place in goal after waiting a year for another appearance.
Sebastien Desabre selected a flat 4-4-2 formation, but DR Congo made a poor start. Uganda took the lead in the seventh minute after a misplaced clearance by Bertaud gave the hosts an early advantage.
The Leopards struggled to create a response before half-time, prompting Desabre to make three changes at the interval. Jorthy Mokio, Junior Kadile and Nathanael Mbuku were introduced.
Kadile made his third appearance for DR Congo, having impressed during his first two outings in the current international window. However, the changes did not prevent Uganda from extending their lead shortly after the restart.
The Cranes capitalised on a lack of concentration in the Congolese defence to score again in the 49th minute and establish a 2-0 advantage.
Noah Sadiki replaced Aaron Tshibola in the 67th minute, but the final substitution had little effect as Uganda held on for victory.
DR Congo will have the opportunity to respond when they face Uganda again on 5 October, also at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. That match will be the second and final fixture of the current international window.