DR Congo held to goalless draw in World Cup warm-up against Denmark
LIEGE, Belgium, June 3 : The Democratic Republic of Congo warmed up for their first World Cup appearance in more than half a century with a 0-0 draw against Denmark on Wednesday.
The clash in Belgium, where the Congolese have been preparing for the World Cup, could be their only preparatory match after a planned friendly against Chile in Spain on Monday was cancelled by local authorities.
The mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion took the decision even though the Congolese team have been preparing for the tournament in Belgium and almost all of their players and staff are based in Europe.
Denmark, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification after a penalty shootout loss to the Czech Republic in the European playoffs in March, twice hit the woodwork with Joakim Maehle striking the post with a curling shot in the 33rd minute and captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg catching the corner of the crossbar with a long-range effort early in the second half.
Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu had a chance on the break in the 24th minute but he hit his effort straight at Denmark goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who made another sharp save to deny Joris Kayembe with the last shot of the match.
At the World Cup, DR Congo open their Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
