Equatorial Guinea’s Africa Cup of Nations swung from fairytale to farce in a matter of hours this week and it seemed sadly apposite that one of their heroes from this tournament, Javier Balboa, was complicit in this third place play-off defeat. Balboa’s penalty, the first to be taken in the shootout, was skied high and wide of the target, Raúl Fabiani’s subsequent miss effectively confirming that DR Congo – who have impressed with their counterattacking football for most of this tournament – leave for Kinshasa with their best finish since 1998.

Among the hosts’ punishments for the violence that marred Thursday night’s semi-final defeat to Ghana was the suspended prospect of playing a home game behind closed doors. When this match kicked off in front of barely 300 supporters, the total eventually struggling into four figures, it was tempting to consider that they have already served their time on this front. A police helicopter, used to such brutal effect during those disturbances, hovered overhead and a security operation that promised “stricter measures” had been notably ramped up. These had clearly been deterrent enough: this crowd was never going to threaten a repeat offence and the heavily-armed officers were able to spend most of a humid early evening watching from the stands.

It felt unfortunate that Equatorial Guinea, for whom history gives no reason to expect another appearance at this level any time soon, could not contest this fixture in front of the kind of audience their achievement has merited. Their games have been raucous, sometimes joyous occasions but the public stayed away this time and Esteban Becker’s team needed a degree of self-reliance to muster the kind of energy that their support had previously helped generate.

They made their customary fast start all the same and, 10 minutes in, the DRC goalkeeper Robert Kidiaba – aged 39 and playing his final international – blocked from Balboa and Emilio Nsue in quick succession. The same two players miskicked, one after the other, from the resulting corner.

The Congolese setup had not been shy to advise that they preferred to play without supporters present and their team, which began without the centre-forward Dieumerci Mbokani, presented little first-half evidence that they wished to be here. There was one clear chance and it fell to Yannick Bolasie, whose generally positive tournament was spoiled when his mistake led to a goal for Gervinho in the semi-final.

He erred again this time when a diagonal ball from Issama Mpeko evaded the home defence and, clean through on the left, Bolasie sliced badly wide of Felipe Ovono’s left post.

But the lack of activity before the interval was such that even the police chopper, which had circled at close quarters throughout the first half, appeared to become bored by its conclusion, heading away to the west.

Its presence was now as necessary as that of the grenade-wielding riot police, sourced from Angola, who lined up to protect the press box. DR Congo opted for some force of their own at the break, Mbokani replacing Hervé Kage, and were nearly rewarded for a far brighter start to the second half when Ovono, a terrifically brave young goalkeeper who seems wasted in the Equatoguinean league, made a flying save to divert Chancel Mbemba’s free header wide.

The tempo had at least picked up now and a better opportunity came on 53 minutes when Cedrick Mabwati squared for Mbokani, who should have scored but barely reached Ovono with his miscue. Pockets of space were appearing and Juvenal, the home captain, shot wide before Kidiaba had to emerge quickly to deny Nsue again.

For all the extra intent there were only two more openings in the 90 minutes, Nsue tackled by Cédric Mongongu when clear and Rubén Belima wasting a gift of a counterattacking situation. It meant that the game went straight to penalties, a resolution whose efficiency was welcome on this occasion.

Balboa, so cool from 12 yards in the wins over Gabon and Tunisia, shot high and wide, before Fabiani’s tame shot was gathered by Kidiaba.

Mongongu scored the last of DR Congo’s four successful penalties to secure the third-place trophy for his team.