Yoane Wissa scored twice as Congo DR produced a memorable second-half comeback to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, securing the Leopards' first-ever place in the World Cup knockout stage after 52 years away from the tournament.
Sébastien Desabre's side needed to win to have any realistic chance of progressing from Group K and, having entered the night with just one point, they found themselves in deeper trouble when Eldor Shomurodov gave Uzbekistan a tenth-minute lead.
The transformation that followed will be remembered as one of the tournament's defining nights.
Shomurodov had already struck within 20 seconds of kick-off, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
The Uzbekistan captain was undeterred, and when Akmal Mozgovoy's bouncing pass split the Congo DR defence, Shomurodov raced past Aaron Wan-Bissaka and produced a superb lofted finish to beat goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi Nzau.
The setback for Congo DR deepened in the 17th minute when Nathanaël Mbuku thought he had drawn his side level, only for VAR to chalk off the goal, the replays showed Mbuku's arm catching Sherzod Nasrullaev in the face during the build-up.
Mbuku then picked up a yellow card just before half-time, compounding a difficult first half for the Leopards.
Uzbekistan went into the interval protecting their lead for the first time in their World Cup history, but the second half told an entirely different story.
Congo DR emerged with renewed urgency and the game turned on a decisive moment just past the hour mark.
Abdukodir Khusanov brought Wissa down inside the penalty area in the 68th minute, and the Newcastle United forward stepped up to send Abduvokhid Nematov the wrong way, rolling the ball calmly into the bottom corner to level the scores and reignite Congolese hopes across the stadium.
Fiston Mayele, introduced as a substitute for Cédric Bakambu at the break of the second period, proved the decisive tactical intervention from Desabre.
In the 78th minute, Meschack Elia's fierce effort took a deflection and Mayele reacted instantly, flicking the loose ball past Nematov at the near post to put Congo DR ahead for the first time.
Uzbekistan searched desperately for an equaliser and made a series of substitutions, but the Leopards controlled possession, finishing with 58 per cent of the ball and 487 passes, and repelled every attack with growing confidence.
The statistics underlined the one-sided nature of the contest, with Congo DR amassing 19 total shots to Uzbekistan's four.
Any lingering doubt was extinguished deep into stoppage time.
