ATLANTA:
The Republic of Congo (DR Congo) made history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Uzbekistan 1-3 to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time, where they will now face England.
In the last match of Group K, Uzbekistan started well and Eldor Shomorudov took advantage of a defensive insight to give his team an early lead.
In the first half, Uzbekistan made several dangerous attacks, but could not increase their lead.
On the other hand, Congo scored a goal in the first half, but the referee mistakenly disallowed this goal. Despite this, the African team did not give up and entered the field with full confidence after the break.
Congo had a chance to equalize in the 68th minute when Uzbekistan’s Abdulkadir Khosanov brought down Yoan Vissa in the penalty area.
The referee gave a penalty and Wesa successfully converted and tied the match.
Congo then continued to press and Fiston Mayele took advantage of Meshack Elia’s rebound to slot the ball into the net from close range to give his side the lead.
In extra time, Yoan Wesa scored the third goal with a beautiful shot to seal the victory for Congo.
With this victory, DR Congo finished third in Group K and joined the best-of-three teams to reach the last 32 of the World Cup for the first time.
They will face England in the qualifying round in Atlanta on Wednesday.
