Sebastian Desabre has heaped praise on his DR Congo players after the Leopards mounted a stunning comeback to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 in a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K fixture at the Atlanta Stadium on Sunday.

Uzbekistan drew first blood through Eldor Shomurodov in the 10th minute, but DR Congo refused to fold. Yoane Wissa levelled matters from the penalty spot in the 68th minute to restore parity.

The Leopards then took the lead ten minutes later in dramatic fashion. A shot from substitute Meschack Elia was deflected into the path of fellow substitute Fiston Mayele, who kept his composure to chip the ball over goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov and into the net.

Wissa wrapped up the victory deep into injury time, curling a composed finish from the edge of the box to seal DR Congo's qualification as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

Desabre's praise for his squad

The head coach reserved special words for his players, singling out their determination to fight back from a deficit as the defining quality of the performance.