For 52 years, Congo secured a historic place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time with a 3-1 comeback victory over Uzbekistan on Saturday, setting up a Round of 32 clash against England.
Making their first World Cup appearance since competing as Zaire in 1974, Congo recovered from an early setback after Eldor Shomurodov gave Uzbekistan the lead with a lobbed finish in the 10th minute.
The African side dominated after the break and equalised in the 68th minute when Yoane Wissa converted a penalty after being fouled by Abdukodir Khusanov inside the box, sending goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way.
Fiston Mayele completed the turnaround 10 minutes later, finishing at the near post after Meschack Elia's effort was deflected into his path. Wissa added his second goal in stoppage time with a curling strike into the bottom corner to seal the victory.
The result marked Congo's first-ever World Cup win after earning their first point with a 1-1 draw against Portugal earlier in the tournament. They advanced as one of the best third-placed teams and became the eighth African nation to progress from the group stage.
Congo's achievement erased memories of their difficult 1974 campaign, when they lost all three matches, including a 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia.
