The Democratic Republic of Congo just did something no one outside of Kinshasa really expected. A 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan on June 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta punched their ticket to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history.
It also ended a 52-year competitive World Cup drought, a stretch so long that the country changed its name twice during the interim. For crypto, the more interesting storyline played out simultaneously on Polymarket, where a dedicated prediction market for the fixture saw shifting volumes and probabilities in real time as the match unfolded.
A comeback for the ages
Uzbekistan struck first. Eldor Shomurodov found the net in the 10th minute, and for the better part of an hour, it looked like the Leopards’ historic campaign might end with a whimper rather than a roar.
Yoane Wissa converted a penalty in the 68th minute to equalize. Fiston Mayele made it 2-1 in the 78th minute. And Wissa added a third in the 91st minute to put the result beyond doubt.
