DR Congo writes itself a new World Cup chapter

ATLANTA — For 52 years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s standout World Cup memory was a humiliating 9-0 rout at the hands of the former Yugoslavia during its only previous appearance at soccer’s global showpiece.

Not anymore.

Not after a new generation of players made history by advancing DR Congo to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, and setting up a round-of-32 clash with one of the pre-tournament favorites and 1966 champion England.

“The weight on our shoulders was hard to bear,” said striker Yoane Wissa, whose two goals helped DR Congo rally to a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan on Saturday night.

Wissa said he would dedicate his brace to those suffering back home from years of wars.

“We are a proud country. We are proud people. We love our country. We love our national team. We love what we represent!” Wissa told reporters.

“I think, tonight, we just showed what it means for us, and just to fight, no matter what.

“It’s not easy in our country. There’s a war in east Congo. Every day, every time we wear this shirt, we think about them.

“That’s why tonight, what we showed says that ‘guys, no matter what, we need to keep going’.

“Because we want peace, and to (the supporters), I just say ‘thank you’. Thank you because we came from far. We came from nothing to be here. Now, we write our story with a black pen, and we need to be proud.”

Fiston Mayele was also on target in a dramatic second-half comeback. “We told ourselves we can’t give up,” Mayele said.

Alongside Cape Verde, DR 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, when it competed as Zaire, was in 1974, when it lost all three games, including the rout by Yugoslavia.

It’s a completely different story now.

After holding Ronaldo and Portugal to a surprise 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, DR Congo needed a win in its final Group K game to advance as one of the best third-placed teams.

And it did just that, with a breathless fightback 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 Sebastien Desabre said.

If the weight of the occasion was evident in DR 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 in the box by Abdukodir Khusanov for a penalty.

Wissa picked himself up and sent Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way, 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 by his teammates, including the 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 any 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’s humiliation long forgotten.

“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!”

DR 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.

“This tournament will give us a lot of experience. I hope that experience will give us more motivation for the future,” said the team’s Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro.

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