LOS ANGELES: The Democratic Republic of Congo became the latest underdogs to roar at the World Cup on Saturday, battling into the knockout rounds for the first time as Iran’s rollercoaster campaign ended in elimination.
A chaotic finale to the tournament’s expanded group phase saw Austria and Algeria fill the final two berths in the last 32 late Saturday after battling to an extraordinary 3-3 draw in Group ‘J’ — a result that dashed Iran’s hopes of advancing from their group.
A win for either Austria or Algeria would have allowed Iran to squeeze into the last 32, and it looked as if the Asian side would advance when Riyadh Mahrez scored in the third minute of stoppage time to put the Algerians into a 3-2 lead.
But Iranian joy was shortlived when Sasa Kalajdzic arrowed in a header in the sixth minute of injury time to snatch a draw for Austria and spark pandemonium in Kansas City.
Austria midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who scored Austria’s second goal, described the closing moments as “weird”.
“It’s a draw normally, so you think you go through and then one moment from Algeria,” he said. “We did it and we were very lucky at the end, but very happy about that.”
It was the final act of another enthralling day at the tournament which saw DR Congo emulate fellow African minnows Cape Verde by reaching the knockouts following a 3-1 defeat of Uzbekistan.
DR Congo’s win in Atlanta — their first ever victory in a World Cup match — was enough to secure third place in Group ‘K’, setting up a dream clash with England in the next round.
“We love our national team. We love what we represent. I think tonight we just showed what it means for us is just to fight no matter what,” said DR Congo striker Yoane Wissa.
DR Congo’s progression continued a stunning World Cup for African sides.
Only one of 10 African teams — Tunisia — failed to reach the second round.
MESSI SCORES AGAIN
Elsewhere on Saturday, Argentina maestro Lionel Messi took his tally at the tournament to an incredible six goals in three matches after coming off the bench to score in the South Americans’ 3-1 defeat of Jordan.
Argentina had already assured themselves of top spot in Group ‘J’ following wins over Austria and Algeria, and were always in control against the eliminated Jordanians in a dead rubber in Arlington, Texas.
Messi’s latest strike also took his career World Cup tally to a record-extending 19 goals.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he is running out of ways to describe the performances of Messi after seeing his captain become the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.
“It’s a little bit of an uncomfortable situation when people ask me that and I don’t know what to say,” Scaloni said when quizzed once again about Messi’s performance.
“Today he could’ve played 90 minutes and, without undermining our opponent, he wanted his team mates to have time on the pitch and to save himself for what’s coming up.
“He doesn’t think so much about the numbers that people are talking about. The only word that comes to mind is that I’m surprised.”
Messi’s strike put the seal on a largely comfortable win for the champions, who took a two-goal lead into the interval following a Giovani Lo Celso free kick and a penalty from Lautaro Martinez.
ENGLAND DOWN PANAMA
Earlier, England ensured their passage to the knockout rounds as Group ‘L’ winners with a laboured 2-0 defeat of Panama at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored the goals that set up their date with the DR Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Colombia topped Group ‘K’ after holding Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to a 0-0 draw in Miami — a result that means the Portuguese will now face Croatia in the last 32.
England were made to work hard by a well-organised Panama team and looked to be heading for a repeat of their lacklustre 0-0 draw with Ghana until Bellingham opened the scoring on 62 minutes before providing an assist for Kane five minutes later.
“It was what we expected: a tough match against a physical opponent,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said. “They are a difficult team to score against and we were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice.”
CROATIA EDGE GHANA
Croatia, meanwhile, made sure of claiming second place in the group behind England with a 2-1 victory over Ghana in Philadelphia.
Petar Sucic and Nikola Vlasic scored the goals for Croatia, as Ghana were forced to settle for third.
Croatia had a slow start in the World Cup but they are not alone in this regard as Belgium and Spain were also below par and are surprise draws early on for England and Portugal.
Now safely into the knockout rounds to face Portugal in Toronto on Thursday, Croatia know they have the patience and mettle for a deep run.
“We need to forget this and focus on what awaits us,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said, praising his side and singling out Modric as “truly fantastic”. “We believe in each other and I know they can do this.”
Croatia’s win extinguished Scotland’s hopes of squeezing into the last 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, sealing their elimination from the tournament. Scotland manager Steve Clarke promptly resigned.
RONALDO PLAYS ON
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended Cristiano Ronaldo after his skipper played another 90 minutes in the 0-0 World Cup Group ‘K’ draw with Colombia, as his side finished in second place, while the tournament’s biggest names took a breather.
Leading scorers like Messi did not start the final group game while Norway’s Erling Haaland was rested, but Ronaldo has played every minute of every game so far.
The 41-year-old forward has faced criticism for his lack of contribution in Portugal games, particularly his limited defensive work when the rest of the team tracks back, but Martinez dismissed comparisons with other players’ game-time.
“Obviously we don’t compare players in our team with other players to make decisions. I think that would be quite childish and very unprofessional,” he told reporters. “I can tell you that we monitor all the (player) information that we get live during the games.
“There are different positions on the pitch that need different needs and we monitor that down to the detail.
“Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It’s more a question of mentally being strong and always being disciplined in his position.
“There is no issue, physically or mentally, for Cristiano in today’s game to play the 90 minutes. Maybe the next game we need to make a change, but that’s like any other player.”
Portugal had gone into their tussle with Colombia in Miami needing a win to top the group — and give themselves a theoretically easier route in the knockout rounds.
But after a thrilling, end-to-end battle Portugal had to settle for a point against a Colombia team who so nearly snatched a win in the dying minutes only to see a fractional offside decision deny them a winning goal.
FIFA World Cup — ‘round of 32’ fixtures
(All kick-off times in PST; alphabet and number represent the group a team has qualified from and their standing, respectively)
June 29, Monday
South Africa (A2) vs Canada (B2), 12:00 midnight
Brazil (C1) vs Japan (F2), 10:00pm
June 30, Tuesday
Germany (E1) vs Paraguay (D3), 1:30am
Netherlands (F1) vs Morocco (C2), 6:00am
Ivory Coast (E2) vs Norway (I2), 10:00pm
July 1, Wednesday
France (I1) vs Sweden (F3), 2:00am
Mexico (A1) vs Ecuador (E3), 6:00am
England (L1) vs DR Congo (K3), 9:00pm
July 2, Thursday
Belgium (G1) vs Senegal (I3), 1:00am
United States (D1) vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (B3), 5:00am
July 3, Friday
Spain (H1) vs Austria (J2), 12:00 midnight
Portugal (K2) vs Croatia (L2), 4:00am
Switzerland (B1) vs Algeria (J3), 8:00am
Australia (D2) vs Egypt (G2), 11:00pm
July 4, Saturday
Argentina (J1) vs Cape Verde (H3), 3:00am
Colombia (K1) vs Ghana (L3), 6:30am
Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2026