ATLANTA, GA — The fifth and final group play match in Atlanta with the Democratic Republic of the Congo needing a win to advance to the knockout stage. DR Congo scored three goals in the second half to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday, June 27 to advance to the round of 32 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Atlanta Stadium saw another sellout crowd on last Saturday as the DR Congo and Uzbekistan fan bases filled every seat in the house to watch this intense soccer match with a trip to the round of 32 on the line. DR Congo had a draw in the first match of group play against Portugal and loss to Columbia in the second match. They only allowed two goals in both of those matches, so they still had a chance to advance.
Uzbekistan could only play spoiler after falling 3-1 to Columbia in their first match of group play and then 5-0 to Portugal in their second match of group play. Now, the final two teams of Group K had to battle it out with one playing for pride and the other trying to advance.
As expected, Uzbekistan came out like a team that had nothing to lose in the first half and were in full attack mode. Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov scored in the opening minute of action, but it was called back due to a player being called off sides.
Shomurodov would not being denied his World Cup goal, and would score in the 10’ minute of game action to give Uzbekistan a 1-0 lead that they would carry into halftime. More controversy occurred when DR Congo’s midfielder Noah Sadiki hit a ridiculous shot around the 20’ minute mark to tie the game.
Game officials called for a review, and they had to get assistance from the VAR World Cup official review team in the headquarters. After careful review, officials decided to take the goal away due to illegal touching by Sadiki before he attempted the shot. The foul seem harmless and accidental, but officials thought otherwise. Of course, the DR Congo fans let the officials hear about it.
Congo had a chance to tie the game a few minutes later with a free kick, but it was blocked by Uzbekistan’s player body and they were able to preserve their 1-0 lead.
Things turned around for both teams in the second half. DR Congo’s first half misfortune turned into some good luck that helped fuel their come back. Yoane Wissa put Congo on the scoreboard at the 68’ minute on a penalty kick to tie the match at 1-1 after a yellow card was issued to Uzbekistan.
Then, DR Congo would take the lead at the 78’ minute with a goal from Fiston Mayele to put them in front 2-1. The momentum had completely swung to Congo and their fans were going crazy inside of Atlanta Stadium. Uzbekistan sidelines and players on the field looked like they were depleted after losing their halftime lead.
DR Congo would then add one more goal for security in the extra time that was added due to the stoppages. Wissa was able to get his second goal of the match in the 91’ minute and that would be enough to secure the third spot in Group K. It also was enough to advance DR Congo to the round of 32.
Uzbekistan would fall to 0-3 in group play and finished the World Cup tournament being outscored 11-2 by their opponents.
“I hope this tournament will give us big experience. I hope this experience will give us more motivation for the future,” said Uzbekistan’s head coach Fabio Cannavaro. “To compete with teams like Portugal, France, Spain and the Argentina’s of the world we have to get better at the lower levels and develop our young talent so they will be ready when they get to this stage and we can build a tradition like these bigger countries.”
He also spoke about their second half collapse, which seem to be the theme in the country’s first ever World Cup appearance.
“Our strategy in the second half was to control the ball. We used a lot of energy in the first half because we were attack, attack, attack and I tried to preserve some of our guy’s energy in the second half. We got away from the game plan and kept taking long shots which disrupted our flow,” Cannavaro said.
DR Congo were one of the last teams to qualify for the round of 32, but they enjoyed every moment.
“The weight on our shoulders was hard to bear,” said Wissa, who scored two goals in the second half to help secure the victory.
It was DR Congo’s first appearance in the World Cup since 1974, when they competed as Zaire. They lost all three matches, but those memories faded away after the second half come back in 2026. Fans cheered in the stands long after the final whistle and the players did several victory laps around the pitch as the DR Congo fan base showered their squad with appreciation for their efforts.
“We’re going to savor this moment because it’s been tough,” said Wissa. “All the guys — the substitutes, those who’ve worn the jersey before, and those who’ll wear it tomorrow — we should be proud. Thank you to all the Congolese people; it’s for moments like these that we do what we do. We did it!”
DR Congo returned back to the Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 1 to face England in the round of 32.