DR Congo produced a second-half fightback to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 at Atlanta Stadium, secure third place in Group K and progress to the round of 32. Yoane Wissa struck twice, Fiston Mayele added another, and Sebastien Desabre’s team set up a knockout tie with England.

The result delivered DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup victory and ensured the campaign continued after earlier group results brought only one draw and one defeat. Uzbekistan had led through Eldor Shomurodov, but DR Congo overturned that advantage with three goals after the 68th minute.

This tournament marks DR Congo’s first World Cup appearance in 52 years, and reaching the last 32 represents a major step for the national side. DR Congo became the 11th African team to advance from a World Cup group and now meet England in the next round.

Before facing Uzbekistan, DR Congo had scored only once in five-and-a-half World Cup matches. From the 68th minute of this game onwards, they found the net three times. That late surge underlined the team’s improvement after a difficult first half, both in attack and control.

Uzbekistan’s opener carried historical weight, as Shomurodov’s first-half strike represented the nation’s first World Cup lead. DR Congo struggled badly before the interval, recording only four shots, all off target, and finishing the half with an expected goals figure of just 0.2.

Desabre’s team responded after the restart with sustained pressure. DR Congo attempted 15 shots in the second period, hitting the target four times, supported by an expected goals figure of 2.14. The contrast with the first half highlighted how much the intensity, movement and decision-making improved.

Key attacking numbers from the match are shown below, illustrating DR Congo’s shift after half-time compared with the earlier period.

The contest started in dramatic fashion when Uzbekistan thought they had scored after only 23 seconds. Shomurodov finished, but the assistant flagged because Dostonbek Khamdamov had moved offside before challenging Lionel Mpasi, and the early breakthrough was ruled out.

Shomurodov did strike legally in the 10th minute. Akmal Mozgovoy sent a bouncing pass forward, Shomurodov accelerated beyond Aaron Wan-Bissaka down the left side of the penalty area, and lifted a precise lob over Mpasi to give Uzbekistan a deserved early advantage.

DR Congo believed they had equalised on 17 minutes when Nathanael Mbuku smashed a half-volley inside Abduvokhid Nematov’s near post. VAR intervened, however, and replays showed Mbuku’s right arm had hit Sherzod Nasrullaev’s face earlier in the move, leading to the goal’s cancellation.

Wissa had limited influence during that period but still created one opening, driving over the bar from around 18 yards before half-time. Soon after the interval, Nematov also reacted well to divert a powerful long-range effort from Mbuku past the post as DR Congo pushed again.

The match swung on an incident in the 68th minute when Wissa was fouled inside the penalty area by Abdukodir Khusanov. The forward took responsibility from the spot and calmly rolled a low penalty into the bottom-right corner, scoring DR Congo’s second World Cup goal.

Uzbekistan’s resistance broke again 12 minutes from full-time. Meschack Elia unleashed a fierce strike that deflected towards Mayele, who reacted quickly and flicked the ball over Nematov. The finish completed the turnaround and left Uzbekistan chasing the game late on.

Wissa settled the contest in the 91st minute. Collecting the ball on the left, Wissa cut inside, created space on the edge of the area and drilled a low shot into the bottom-right corner, sparking loud celebrations among DR Congo supporters behind the goal.