Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Abdukodir Khusanov’s Uzbekistan dream ends in drab defeat

Abdukodir Khusanov becomes the first Manchester City player at the FIFA World Cup to head home after Uzbekistan finished bottom of their group.

DR Congo booked a historic World Cup round-of-32 clash against England after staging a brilliant second-half comeback to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 in Atlanta.

The Leopards endured a rocky start when a defensive breakdown between Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka gifted Uzbekistan a 10th-minute lead, allowing Eldor Shomurodov to intercept a loose ball and dink it over Lionel Mpasi.

Uzbekistan dictated much of the opening period with their fluid attack, but DR Congo slowly fought their way back in. The African side grew highly aggrieved when a Nathanael Mbuku goal was controversially disallowed for an alleged foul in the build-up, leaving Sébastien Desabre’s men trailing at the interval.

The match shifted entirely after the break as a rejuvenated Congolese side played with heightened tempo to keep their knockout ambitions alive. Their intense urgency paid off when Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa was clumsily upended inside the area by Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, with Wissa stepping up to coolly roll the resulting penalty home.

The momentum completed its turnaround in the 78th minute as Fiston Mayele reactive-prodded home from close range after tracking the path of a deflected Meschack Elia strike.

Wissa then added the final polish in stoppage time, cutting inside to arrow a magnificent finish into the far corner, securing a third-place finish in Group K and setting up a knockout tie against the Three Lions.

Uzbekistan exit the competition.

Abdukodir Khusanov match statistics vs DR Congo

90 Minutes
51 Touches
32 Accurate Passes
82% Pass Accuracy
7 Clearances
6 Recoveries
5 Accurate Long Balls
4 Headed Clearances
4 Passes Into Final Third
3 Tackles
3 Ground Duels Won
1 Interception
1 Aerial Duel Won
1 Penalty Conceded

Data courtesy of FotMob.