On his first start for the Leopards, AS Saint-Étienne full-back Kévin Pedro delivered a defensively impressive display against Sierra Leone (3-1). A performance that carries weight at a time when his international choice is being debated.
Kévin Pedro made his first competitive start for DR Congo against Sierra Leone (3-1), playing the full match at right-back. The 20-year-old AS Saint-Étienne defender was handed a starting place by the Leopards’ staff, according to But Football Club.
His defensive numbers stand out: eight tackles won from nine attempted and 88% pass accuracy, again according to the same outlet. Figures that add substance to a debut that was no mere formality.
A versatile profile, a quick adaptation
Trained at ASSE, Pedro can play both centrally and on the right, a versatility the Leopards exploited by stationing him on the flank. In this match, most of his contribution came without the ball, in repeated duels and clean distribution.
His pass accuracy (88%) places his performance in the category of the defender who does not give the ball away, a quality valued in a system that asks the full-back to take part in the first phase of build-up. The youngster, who came through France’s youth teams, has therefore taken another step in an international environment he is only just discovering.
The DR Congo choice, owned
Last September, Kévin Pedro chose DR Congo, a “choice of the heart, owned” according to But Football Club, despite interest from the France national team. The report mentions no official call-up from Les Bleus, no formal contact: it is a question of interest, and nothing more.
That camp came at a time when the right-back position was not a settled matter for Les Bleus, with Jules Koundé and Pierre Kalulu both withdrawing, the outlet notes. A piece of context recalled by the source, which says nothing about any approach from the FFF towards the Saint-Étienne player.
Still, the 20-year-old’s performance comes at just the right time for DR Congo, who now have a credible option on the right flank. Pedro’s versatility also gives them a second use for him, in central defence, where African national teams often look for profiles capable of switching between systems.
Out for the seventh round, back after the break
Pedro will miss AS Saint-Étienne’s Coupe de France tie: the club face Rumilly-Vallières on Sunday 15 November at 3pm without their full-back, who is on international duty. The absence is part of a wider pattern, as ASSE head coach Ian Cathro said ten members of the Forez squad have been called up by national teams, including Naïr, Baallal, Ndiaye and Pedro, ASSE.fr reports.
The Saint-Étienne coach said he wanted to approach the match “with the same seriousness as in the league”, according to ASSE.fr, despite a depleted squad. Made in Saint-Étienne, for its part, reports fourteen absentees for the Greens in this seventh round against GFA Rumilly-Vallières.
The defender will return to Saint-Étienne after the international break with a full first start to his name and statistics that make his case. For the Leopards as for the Greens, the Kévin Pedro story is only just beginning.