Wissa ends 52-year wait with brace to help DR Congo to World Cup knockouts | OneFootball

Ollie Whitmore, Chief football news reporter

DR Congo qualified for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time with a maiden victory at the tournament, mounting a sensational comeback to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 on their return after 52 years.

All-time leading Uzbek scorer Eldor Shomurodov notched his 45th international goal on the game that took him to 96 caps to punish a lapse in concentration from the African side’s defence after just 10 minutes.

Yoane Wissa converted a penalty days after scoring his country’s first goal at the tournament, before Fiston Mayele and the Newcastle striker’s brilliant second set up a meeting with England in the round of 32 by hauling them to third in Group K.

As it happened

Shomurodov was running in behind to chase down a lofted pass down the left channel by Akmal Mozgovoy and caught out DR Congo as the ball bounced into the penalty area.

Communication between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi Nzau broke down and the 30-year-old striker executed an audacious lob into the net after seeing Nzau in no man’s land.

The African side responded well with the equalizer just six minutes later, when Mbuku rifled home a powerful left-footed shot from roughly 20 yards out but VAR recommended that referee Felix Zwayer review an incident in the build up.

It brought into question Mbuku appearing to catch left-back Sherzod Nasrulloev in the face with a stray hand inside his own half as the 24-year-old started the attack, meaning that the goal was controversially ruled out.

Uzbekistan wouldn’t threaten much since Shomurodov’s opener besides Mpasi palming away a deflected cross in from the left rather over exuberantly, before the goalscorer was heading a free kick from the left off the line.

DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba came closest to levelling the tie on the stroke of half-time, volleying into the ground and not far wide of goal despite the centre-back’s role at the heart of defence.

Sébastian Desabre’s team kept up the pressure with which they ended the first half, and got their reward when Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov clumsily swung at a cross from the right to clear it away and instead caught Wissa.

The Newcastle striker went right and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to bring DR Congo within a goal of the last 32 in their second ever appearance at the World Cup.

Super substitute Mayele completed the comeback for the Leopards with a poacher’s finish in the 78th minute, reacting first to run onto Meschack Elia’s deflected effort having cut inside from the left wing and flick it over the goalkeeper.

The moment compounded a half to forget for Khusanov, whose boot ended up playing Mayele onside before his historic strike extinguished Uzbekistan’s hopes of a win on their World Cup debut.

Wissa added a third by making himself available for the pass from Elia – after the winger recovered Mayele’s pass across the face of goal – and arrowed an inch-perfect shot into the bottom right corner, denying Uzbekistan a first World Cup point.

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