Overview
- DR Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in Atlanta on Saturday night with Yoane Wissa scoring twice, including a 68th-minute equaliser and a stoppage-time winner.
- Uzbekistan opened the scoring through Eldor Shomurodov after 10 minutes following an earlier ruled-out effort, and a Nathanael Mbuku goal for DR Congo was later disallowed after a VAR review for an alleged foul in the build-up.
- Momentum swung after Wissa was fouled in the area by Abdukodir Khusanov, who conceded a penalty that Wissa calmly converted to put DR Congo ahead.
- The victory secures DR Congo a place in the World Cup round of 32 against England and eliminates Uzbekistan, whose debut tournament ended with bottom place in Group K.
- DR Congo reached the knockout stage after a group run that included a draw with Portugal and a loss to Colombia, a result that boosts coach Sébastien Desabre’s side and creates club-level fallout for players such as Newcastle’s Wissa and Manchester City’s Khusanov.