Yoane Wissa settled it in the end, but Congo DR made a thorough mess of the first hour before doing so. Uzbekistan led at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta thanks to Eldor Shomurodov's tenth-minute goal, and they held that lead long enough to make Sebastien Desabre's side genuinely uncomfortable. The final 3-1 scoreline flatters neither party entirely, but Congo DR deserved their win once they found their nerve.
Shomurodov struck with the game barely started. Akmal Mozgovoy provided the assist and the Central Asians had the lead before most of the crowd had settled. It was a rude awakening for a Congo DR side that had started the group with at least some ambition, and it prompted the kind of nervous, over-elaborate possession that tends to accompany a team pressing the panic button. They had 58 per cent of the ball across the ninety minutes and produced 19 shots, but for the best part of an hour they could not convert territory into anything resembling a genuine threat. Fourteen shots went wide or over; the finishing was poor.
Uzbekistan, with four shots all game and an expected goals figure of just 0.27, had arrived to defend. They did it competently if not comfortably, their three-man back line sitting deep and their midfield four working hard to cut off the angles. Cannavaro's side conceded six fouls over the course of the evening, a number that tells its own story about how stretched they were becoming as the second half wore on. Fouls, eventually, cost them.
The penalty that brought Congo DR level on 68 minutes came courtesy of exactly that desperation. Wissa stepped up and converted from the spot, and the complexion of the match changed immediately. Where Uzbekistan had looked organised and resolute, they now looked tired and exposed. Their 76 per cent pass accuracy in a game they largely spent defending told the story of a team that could not hold the ball when they needed to.
Fiston Mayele, introduced as a substitute, settled the contest on 78 minutes with a goal that gave Congo DR the lead for the first time. The finish made an immediate case for his selection, and it was the kind of contribution that renders a manager's substitution decision very straightforward in hindsight. Noah Sadiki had been among the more consistent performers across the match, collecting a yellow card that suggested he was not shy about imposing himself in midfield, and he was the engine that kept Congo DR pressing forward during the difficult middle period.
Wissa completed the job in the first minute of stoppage time, converting a pass from fellow substitute Meschak Elia to make it 3-1. His two-goal evening was the story of the match, the second especially well-timed given the circumstances.
Congo DR's campaign ends here. They finish third in Group K with four points, behind Colombia on seven and Portugal on five. It is a harsh reflection on a squad with real Premier League-level quality in its ranks. They were good enough to beat a limited Uzbekistan side but not consistent enough, across three group games, to merit progression. Uzbekistan, pointless and with eleven goals conceded in the group, will reflect on a tournament that exposed the gap between Central Asian football and the world's best.
Both squads exit Atlanta having provided one of the group stage's more lopsided final standings. For Congo DR, the hope will be that the next cycle brings the improvement this one only hinted at.