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,” Mayele said.
Congo has been one of the surprise stories of this World Cup, with few expecting it to emerge from a group that included Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Colombia. And history was hardly on its side.
Congo’s previous appearance was when it competed as Zaire in 1974 and lost all three games, including the rout by Yugoslavia.
It’s a completely different story now.
After holding Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a surprise 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, Congo needed a win in its final Group K game to advance as one of the best third-place teams.
And it did just that with a breathless fight back after trailing to Eldor Shomurodov’s lobbed goal in the 10th minute.
“We’re a team that knows how to respond when we concede a goal; we keep fighting with determination,” coach Sébastien Desabre’s said.
If the weight of the occasion was evident in Congo’s first-half performance, the resilience of its players proved irresistible after the break.
The game was level 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 for the first of a late flurry of goals.
Mayele put Congo ahead 10 minutes later when flicking past Nematov at the near post and was mobbed teammates and even substitutes, who raced off the bench and across the field to join in the wild celebrations.
There were even more joyous scenes when Wissa put the result beyond doubt in added time with a curling shot into the bottom corner.
Fans continued celebrating long after the final whistle, singing and dancing in the stadium concourses. The memories of 1974 fading fast.
“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.
“It’s quite an achievement. We showed a good image of Congo,” said Desabre.
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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