DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan: Yoane Wissa brace fires Leopards into historic Last 32
Yoane Wissa scored twice as DR Congo staged a brilliant second-half comeback against Uzbekistan in Atlanta to secure their first-ever World Cup win and a knockout clash with England.
Yoane Wissa was the hero for the Leopards, scoring a vital double alongside a substitute strike from Fiston Mayele to send Sébastien Desabre’s side through to the Round of 32 for the first time in the nation’s history. The victory triggers a dream knockout encounter against England on Wednesday, sparking joyous celebrations among the 68,239 fans in attendance.
Uzbekistan, playing for pride in their debut World Cup appearance under Fabio Cannavaro, initially threatned to spoil the African side’s party. The White Wolves caught DR Congo cold after just ten minutes when Akmal Mozgovoy slid a perfectly weighted through ball to Eldor Shomurodov. The captain timed his run to perfection, producing a sumptuous, looping left-footed lob over Lionel Mpasi from a tight angle to shock the Leopards.
DR Congo thought they had responded instantly through a brilliant arrowed finish into the top corner by Nathanaël Mbuku. However, the stadium fell quiet as referee Felix Zwayer was called to the monitor, ultimately chalking off the equalizer following a VAR review for a soft foul by Mbuku on Sherzod Nasrullaev in the buildup.
The African nation struggled for fluency for the remainder of the first half, but returned from the locker room with heightened urgency, utterly dominating the second-half territory and outshooting their opponents 19 to 3 over the 90 minutes.
Their relentless pressure finally paid off in the 68th minute. Abdukodir Khusanov lunged into a rash challenge on Wissa inside the area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot. Wissa stepped up himself, coolly sending Uzbek goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way to ignite a wall of sound from the Congolese support.
The momentum shifted entirely, and the Leopards took a deserved lead ten minutes later. Meschack Elia broke loose on the flank and squared the ball back into the danger zone, where substitute Fiston Mayele cleverly flicked his effort past the onrushing Nematov.
Uzbekistan pushed bodies forward in a desperate search for an equalizer, leaving gaps in behind. DR Congo capitalized deep into stoppage time when Elia once again drove into space, teeing up Wissa to curl a precise finish into the far corner to seal a landmark result that will live long in Congolese football folklore.
