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Democratic Republic of Congo makes World Cup history, advances to knockout stage
🇹🇷 Turkey /Sports

Democratic Republic of Congo makes World Cup history, advances to knockout stage

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in their final 2026 World Cup qualifying match.
  • Yoane Wissa scored twice, including a penalty, and Fiston Mayele added another goal for DR Congo.
  • DR Congo advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, while Uzbekistan was eliminated with zero points.

The Democratic Republic of Congo made history by advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time. They secured a dramatic 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in their final group match.

Uzbekistan took an early lead in the 10th minute with a goal from Eldor Shomurodov. However, the Congolese team fought back in the second half. Yoane Wissa converted a penalty in the 68th minute to equalize, and Fiston Mayele put DR Congo ahead in the 78th minute.

Wissa sealed the victory with his second goal in stoppage time, securing DR Congo's place in the round of 32. They will face England in the next stage. This marks a significant achievement for the team, as it is their first World Cup win and their first time progressing beyond the group stage. They had previously participated in 1974 as Zaire, losing all their matches without scoring.

Fabio Cannavaro's Uzbekistan side finished the tournament at the bottom of Group K with no points, marking a disappointing debut for the Central Asian nation.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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