Match Report
Congo DR completed their Group K turnaround with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan on Saturday night in Atlanta, a result that lifts Sébastien Desabre’s side into the knockouts on four points and leaves Fabio Cannavaro’s team bottom despite their early promise. For 68 minutes it looked like Eldor Shomurodov’s goal in the 10th minute, supplied by Akmal Mozgovoy, might define the contest. The Uzbekistan captain finished the visitors’ only shot on target, and Congo DR needed a lengthy reset after Nathanaël Mbuku’s would-be leveller in the 17th minute was scrubbed off for a foul.
Discipline frayed. Noah Sadiki’s yellow card in the 21st minute betrayed Congo DR’s frustration, Abdukodir Khusanov went into the book in the 43rd minute, and Mbuku followed in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. Yet the pattern of the game had already shifted. Desabre’s 4-4-2 pinned back Cannavaro’s 3-4-2-1, full backs Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Wan-Bissaka forcing Dostonbek Khamdamov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev to defend deeper than intended.
The payoff arrived after the interval. Cédric Bakambu made way for Fiston Mayele in the 51st minute and Congo DR’s pressure grew. Sherzod Nasrullaev’s booking at 48 minutes underlined Uzbek anxiety, Samuel Moutoussamy’s caution at 62 minutes did little to stem the tide, and when Yoane Wissa faced a 68th-minute penalty he sent Abduvokhid Nematov the wrong way to level.
Desabre then refreshed both flanks with a triple change in the 72nd minute, introducing Théo Bongonda, Ngal’ayel Mukau, and Meschak Elia. Six minutes later the substitute centre forward delivered: Mayele scored in the 78th minute, rewarding Congo DR’s 58 percent possession and their tally of 19 shots. Elia supplied the gloss in the first minute of stoppage time, squaring for Wissa to cap the comeback. Joris Kayembe’s late arrival for Masuaku in the 83rd minute locked the result down, while Uzbekistan’s own changes, including Oston Orunov in the 73rd minute and the double switch of Igor Sergeev and Jamshid Iskanderov in the 82nd, could not conjure a response.
Tactical Insight
Congo DR’s 4-4-2 asked Sadiki to screen Shomurodov, freeing Moutoussamy to press Otabek Shukurov. That trade-off, combined with Masuaku’s overlaps, forced Uzbekistan to defend in a compressed back five. Bakambu’s offside-dotted runs stalled the first half, but Mayele’s introduction altered the picture. His depth running dragged Khusanov into emergency defending, and Wissa’s converted penalty punctured Uzbekistan’s resistance. Elia’s late cameo, drifting in off the right, created the passing lane for the insurance goal. Cannavaro’s 3-4-2-1 never regained control, limited to 355 completed passes against Congo DR’s 487 and an expected-goals return of 0.27 to the Leopards’ 2.35.
Key Facts
- Goal: Eldor Shomurodov scored in the 10th minute, assisted by Akmal Mozgovoy
- Goal: Yoane Wissa converted a penalty in the 68th minute
- Goal: Fiston Mayele scored in the 78th minute
- Goal: Yoane Wissa scored in the 90+1st minute, assisted by Meschak Elia
- Yellow cards: Noah Sadiki 21st, Abdukodir Khusanov 43rd, Nathanaël Mbuku 45+5th, Sherzod Nasrullaev 48th, Samuel Moutoussamy 62nd
Statistics
- Possession: Congo DR 58 percent, Uzbekistan 42 percent
- Shots: Congo DR 19 (4 on target), Uzbekistan 4 (1 on target)
- Expected goals: Congo DR 2.35, Uzbekistan 0.27
- Fouls: Congo DR 6, Uzbekistan 16
What Comes Next
Congo DR finish the group on four points behind Colombia and Portugal, who shared the spoils earlier in the day. That haul should be enough to book a Round of 32 berth and, crucially, offers Desabre a template built around Mayele and Wissa in tandem. Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan depart winless after conceding 11 goals across the group stage, a reminder of the gulf they still need to close before the next World Cup cycle.
