DR Congo seal first World Cup win since 1974, beat Uzbekistan 3-1 to set up England clash

Match recap

Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov lobbed the goalkeeper from a narrow angle in the 10th minute to give the debutants an early lead. The Congolese thought they had equalised when Nathanaël Mbuku curled a shot into the top corner, but VAR disallowed it for a foul in the build-up. The first half ended 0-1.

Second-half turnaround

A penalty awarded for Abdukodir Khusanov's foul on Wissa midway through the second half changed the game. Wissa converted calmly in the 68th minute. Substitute Fiston Mayele pounced on a deflected shot to flick the ball home 12 minutes from time. Wissa added a third in stoppage time to seal the historic victory.

African surge

The win made DR Congo the eighth African team to reach the last 32, with only Tunisia eliminated and Algeria still to play. It is the first World Cup victory for the Leopards since they competed as Zaire in 1974, when they lost all three matches and conceded 14 goals. The squad had prepared for the tournament in spite of an Ebola outbreak back home.

Winning a World Cup match is wonderful. It would be a satisfaction for my players, they left their families behind. Tomorrow's match can be important for us to grow more.

What's next

The Congolese, who finished third in Group K with four points behind Colombia (7) and Portugal (5), will face England in the round of 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday. Uzbekistan, with no points, exit their first World Cup.