Wissa double sends DR Congo into World Cup knockout stage

Yoane Wissa’s 68th-minute penalty did more than level the score against Uzbekistan in Atlanta. It broke a match that had been tilting away from the Democratic Republic of Congo, turned a 1-0 deficit into belief, and set up a 3-1 comeback that carried Congo into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in its history.

Uzbekistan had struck first through Eldor Shomurodov in the 10th minute, punishing Congo’s slow start in the Group K match on June 27. With the African side needing a win to keep its tournament alive, the early goal raised the pressure immediately. Congo stayed in the game, though, and the equalizer came when the referee pointed to a foul inside the area in Congo’s favor. Wissa, the Brentford forward, took responsibility and converted from the spot to make it 1-1.

That goal changed the match’s shape. Uzbekistan could no longer sit on its lead, while Congo began to play with the urgency that had been missing in the opening phase. Eight minutes after the equalizer, Fiston Mayele put Congo ahead in the 78th minute, completing the turnaround and forcing Uzbekistan to chase the game. Wissa then finished it off in stoppage time with his second goal of the night, sealing a result that reflected Congo’s control after the penalty shifted the momentum.

The victory sent the Democratic Republic of Congo through with four points and into the round of 32. It was the country’s second World Cup appearance, arriving after a 52-year absence, and the first time Congo had ever advanced beyond the group stage. The next opponent is England, a meeting that now follows one of the team’s most important results in its football history.

For Uzbekistan, the loss ended a first World Cup campaign that began with promise but closed without a point. Shomurodov’s early strike had given the debutants a foothold, but Wissa’s penalty erased that advantage and exposed how quickly control can vanish once a match turns on one call inside the box.