Returning to the World Cup after 52 years, DR Congo have written a new chapter in their football history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time. The African side defeated Uzbekistan 3–1, becoming one of the surprise packages of the tournament alongside Cape Verde.
However, it was Uzbekistan who struck first. In the 10th minute, Eldor Shomurodov produced a brilliant lob over the goalkeeper to give his side an early lead. At that point, it looked as though DR Congo’s dream run might come to an early halt.
But the second half told a very different story. Under coach Sebastien Desabre, DR Congo came out stronger, dominating physically and pushing Uzbekistan deeper into their half.
The equaliser came in the 68th minute. Yoane Wissa converted a penalty after Abdukodir Khusanov fouled Yoane Wissa inside the box. Wissa calmly sent goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way to level the score.
Just 10 minutes later, DR Congo took the lead. A powerful attempt from Meschak Elia took a deflection, and Fiston Mayele reacted quickest to turn the ball into the net, making it 2–1.
In stoppage time, as Uzbekistan pushed desperately for an equaliser, DR Congo struck again on the counterattack. Wissa curled a superb shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner to seal a 3–1 victory and spark celebrations on the bench.
Earlier in the group stage, DR Congo had already shown their potential by holding Portugal to a 1–1 draw, and this result confirmed their rise as one of the breakout teams of the tournament as they advanced to the knockout rounds.
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