DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan: Wissa brace fires historic comeback into last 32

DR Congo produced a stirring second-half comeback in Atlanta to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history. Uzbekistan struck first when captain Eldor Shomurodov chipped home in the 10th minute after a defensive mix-up at the back for the Leopards, following a bouncing pass from Akmal Mozgovoy.

DR Congo had a Nathan Mbuku effort ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up before finally leveling in the 68th minute, when Yoane Wissa rolled home a penalty after Abdukodir Khusanov brought him down in the box. Ten minutes later, second-half substitute Fiston Mayele turned the game on its head, poking in after Meschack Elia's shot was deflected into his path.

Wissa completed the turnaround in first-half stoppage time of the second period, curling a shot into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 and put the result beyond doubt. The Newcastle forward's double gave him three goals in the tournament and made him just the second player in World Cup history, after Egypt's Abdelrahman Fawzi in 1934, to score his country's first two World Cup goals.

The result made DR Congo the 11th African nation to advance from a World Cup group stage and set up a last-32 meeting with England. Manager Sebastien Desabre praised his players afterward, calling their effort extraordinary.