DR Congo to face England in last 32 after Wissa stars in comeback win over Uzbekistan

Match report as DR Congo win their first-ever World Cup fixture to book a place in the round of 32, where they will meet England; Yoane Wissa scored a double and Fiston Mayele netted the other as DR Congo fought from behind against Uzbekistan

>Yoane Wissa scored two as the Democratic Republic of Congo fought from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in Atlanta and book a round of 32 clash against England.

>The Newcastle forward was the star of the show as he scored his second and third goals of the tournament to ensure his side clinched third in Group K with DR Congo's first-ever World Cup victory. Wissa was also on target as the Leopards drew with Portugal on matchday one.

>What's now DR Congo's most glorious footballing victory, nearly wasn't to be. Uzbekistan opened the scoring after a quick start through captain Eldor Shomurodov. He found the back in the opening minute, only for it to be chalked off for offside.

>DR Congo, who needed a win to progress, were then sparked into action. Although Nathan Mbuku's equaliser was ruled out after his flailing arm caught Sherzod Nasrullaev in the face during the build-up, Wissa provided the lifeline. The 29-year-old was caught in the box by Abdukodir Khusanov and stepped up to coolly convert his penalty.

>Fiston Mayele, a second-half substitute, put Congo's noses in front for the first time before Wissa arrowed in a third to seal the win. The same stage that saw DR Congo claim a famous victory will house their first knockout tie against England on Wednesday.

>1: OFFSIDE, NO GOAL! Uzbekistan nearly take an early lead, straight from kick-off. Skipper Shomurodov beats Mpasi but the flag goes up instantly for offside.

>10: GOAL! Shomurodov takes full advantage of a DR Congo mess at the back, lobbing the ball over Mpasi, who is caught in no man's land.

>18: GOAL! Nathan Mbuku fires DR Congo level, but it's immediately checked by VAR.

>19: NO GOAL! VAR rules out Mbuku's equaliser for a foul in the build-up.

>35: DR CONGO WANT A PENALTY! Cipenga goes down in the area after Alidzhanov places two hands on the forward. It looks like a push!

>66: PENALTY TO DR CONGO! Khusanov catches Wissa in the area with a swing and a miss.

>68: GOAL! Wissa sends Nematov the wrong way with a coolly taken penalty.

>78: GOAL! Mayele pokes DR Congo in front to complete the comeback.

>90+1: GOAL! Wissa fires from range to seal DR Congo's spot in the round of 32.

>"If you're looking for your dark horses in the knockout stages, you won't find one in DR Congo. Instead, you'll find a prowling, stubborn Leopard, primed and ready to spring a surprise or two.

>"Portugal came away licking their wounds, with scars exposed in their meeting with DR Congo, leading to the questioning of a stellar array of footballers.

>"Not only did DR Congo claim a point against Portugal, who were considered one of the competition's favourites from the onset, but onlookers would be justified to argue that Sebastien Desabre's men deserved a victory.

>"Colombia offered a different test, and while DR Congo eventually ceded under pressure late on in the game, the principles were clear - defend first and ask questions later.

>"DR Congo isn't a side designed to entertain; they are a nation built on not losing. Despite Yoane Wissa's three goals in the competition, the defence is where Desabre has placed his focus during his reign in charge of DR Congo.

>"Under his stewardship, DR Congo has never been beaten by more than a one-goal margin since taking over the national team in 2022. For context, Thomas Tuchel, who took over England last year, has already lost by a two-goal margin, a 3-1 defeat to Senegal.

>"Congo's goalscoring is a stumbling block too, with the side scoring one goal or fewer in two-thirds of their matches (66.7 per cent).

>"The inquest into England's lack of creativity, inspiration or energy in attacking areas continue despite their 2-0 win over Panama. On a quest to fix that, don't expect Tuchel to find easy prey to remedy that against the stubborn DR Congo."

>DR Congo boss Sebastien Desabre: "We have to congratulate the players - they were the ones who were extraordinary.

>"We're a team that knows how to respond when we concede a goal; we keep fighting with determination."

>Uzbekistan boss Fabio Cannavaro: "The first half we did an amazing performance, we prepared the game in this way. I knew we spent a lot of energy, I knew we were running too much, and I was afraid for the second half," he said.

>"I tried to push them at half time but of course, at this level if we make small mistakes - what I said against Colombia, against Portugal - you pay too much. Of course this World Cup for us is some experience, I'm proud because even if they suffered, they showed what they can do."

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