Yoane Wissa scored twice as DR Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday, sealing a place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, where they will face England.
It was a historic victory for the Congolese, who are playing in their first World Cup since 1974. It also marked the country’s first-ever World Cup win.
After trailing 1-0 at half-time, Congo turned the match around with an impressive second-half display. Wissa equalised from the penalty spot before substitute Fiston Mayele put his side ahead. Wissa then wrapped up the victory with his second goal deep into stoppage time.
The win saw Congo finish third in Group K behind Colombia and Portugal. They will remain in Atlanta to take on England on Wednesday.
For Uzbekistan, it was a disappointing end to their first-ever World Cup campaign. They lost all their three group matches despite leading for nearly an hour against Congo.
Captain Eldor Shomurodov gave Uzbekistan an early lead but his side struggled to maintain control after the break as Congo completed a memorable comeback.
Uzbekistan almost scored inside the opening 30 seconds when Dostonbek Khamdamov’s shot was blocked and Shomurodov converted the rebound, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Shomurodov did find the net in the 10th minute. Abbosbek Fayzullaev flicked on a long ball, allowing the striker to race past Aaron Wan-Bissaka before calmly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi from a tight angle.
DR Congo thought they had equalised seven minutes later when Nathanael Mbuku fired home after good work by Brian Cipenga. However, the goal was disallowed following a VAR review because Mbuku’s trailing hand had struck defender Sherzod Nasrullaev in the build-up.
The Congolese dominated possession after half-time but struggled to turn their chances into goals.
Their breakthrough came when they were awarded a penalty after Abdukodir Khusanov brought down Wissa inside the box. The striker, who has endured an injury-hit season with Newcastle United, confidently sent goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way to level the score.
Congo completed the turnaround in the 78th minute. Meschack Elia’s shot was blocked but fell kindly for Mayele, who reacted quickly to lift the ball over Nematov.
Wissa then put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time. Given space on the edge of the penalty area, he fired a low shot into the corner before celebrating by sprinting almost the entire length of the Atlanta Stadium pitch, followed by his jubilant teammates.
