ATLANTA — For 52 years, Congo's standout World Cup memory was a humiliating 9-0 rout at the hands of Yugoslavia in its only other appearance on soccer's biggest stage.
Not anymore. Not after a new generation of players made history by advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time and set up a clash with England.
“The weight on our shoulders was hard to bear,” said striker Yoane Wissa whose two goals helped Congo rally to a 3-1 win against Uzbekistan on Saturday night
Fiston Mayele was also on target in a dramatic second-half comeback as Congo joined Cape Verde as another surprise qualifier for the round of 32.
“We told ourselves we can’t give up, we have to get that win because getting a tie would kick us out. So we got that win,” Mayele said.
After holding Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a surprise 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, Congo topped that with its first win at a World Cup.
Trailing to Eldor Shomurodov's lobbed goal in the 10th minute, Sébastien Desabre’s team fought back after the break and equalized in the 68th when Wissa was brought down by Abdukodir Khusanov for a penalty.
Wissa picked himself up and sent Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way by rolling the ball into the bottom corner to spark a late flurry of goals.
Substitute Mayele fired Congo ahead 10 minutes later when flicking past Nematov at the near post and was mobbed teammates. Congo's substitutes even raced off the bench and across the field to join in the wild celebrations.
And there were even more joyous scenes when Wissa put the result beyond doubt in added time with a curling shot into the bottom corner.
“We’re a team that knows how to respond when we concede a goal; we keep fighting with determination,” Desabre said.
Congo is making a return to the World Cup for the first time since competing as Zaire in 1974 when it lost all three games, including the rout by Yugoslavia.
The draw against Portugal was its first point on this stage and it needed to follow that up with a win to advance as one of the best third-place teams.
“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!”
Congo became the eighth African nation to advance from the group stage at this tournament.
Uzbekistan's debut at the World Cup ended in three straight defeats.
“I hope this tournament will give us big experience. I hope this experience will give us more motivation for the future,” said coach Fabio Cannavaro.
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