Atlanta, June 28 (IANS) Congo DR have won their first World Cup match 52 years after their first and only appearance at the global showpiece and reached the knockout stages for the first time ever.

Riding on a brace from Yoane Wissa and a goal from Fiston Mayele Congo completed a sensational comeback from a goal down and delivered a 3-1 win over eliminated Uzbekistan, who are heading home after finishing bottom of FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K.

Congo, competing at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when the nation, then known as Zaire, became the first sub-Saharan African country ever to qualify for the tournament, followed Colombia and Portugal, who played out a goalless draw in Miami, into the knockout phase.

After back-to-back defeats, debutants Uzbekistan were clearly intent on claiming a positive result in their third World Cup outing, and they took an incredible lead after just 20 seconds at Atlanta Stadium.

That lightning effort from Eldor Shomurodov was ruled out for offside, but the forward did break the deadlock shortly afterwards, getting the celebrations for his upcoming 31st birthday started a couple of days early as he looped home a delicious finish from a tight angle in the 10th minute, reports Xinhua.

Seven minutes later it was Congo DR’s turn to have an effort disallowed, with Nathanael Mbuku's precise strike chalked off for a foul in the build-up. Shomurodov almost doubled Uzbekistan’s advantage with another delicate attempt in the 51st minute, but this time the ball dropped onto the roof of the net.

Congo DR started to apply more pressure as the game wore on, and Wissa drew them level from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. Ten minutes later a pair of substitutes combined to put Congo DR ahead, as Meschack Elia’s shot was deflected into the path of Fiston Mayele, who applied just enough of a connection to dink the loose ball over Abduvohid Nematov and into the net.

Wissa added his second in injury time with an excellent finish from the edge of the box to ensure Congo DR's progress as one of the best third-place finishers. England will be their Round of 32 opponents in Atlanta on 1 July.

--IANS

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