ATLANTA : The Democratic Republic of Congo earned a historic first FIFA World Cup victory as they came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 on Sunday, securing a place in the Round of 32 for the first time.
The win saw DR Congo finish third in Group K with four points, enough to qualify as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Uzbekistan ended their campaign bottom of the group without a point.
Uzbekistan made the brighter start and took the lead in the 10th minute through Eldor Shomurodov.
DR Congo levelled in the 68th minute when Yoane Wissa converted a penalty before Fiston Mayele completed the turnaround with a goal in the 78th minute.
Wissa sealed the victory in stoppage time with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area to complete a memorable 3-1 win.
The result marked DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup victory, having previously appeared only once at the tournament in 1974, and sent them into the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
