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 on 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 short-lived 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. 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, 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’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.

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.

The result means Portugal will face a tricky tie with the experienced Croatians in the last 32 — and potentially a meeting with European champions Spain in the last 16.

An attack on the local headquarters of the Sindh Rangers in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar locality on Saturday left three paramilitary personnel martyred and three terrorists dead, the province’s police chief said.

Speaking to Dawn, Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho said that it had not initially been confirmed whether a blast had also taken place, adding that the terrorists had rammed the main gate with their vehicle.

Odho further said that a “mopping-up operation” was underway and that the area had been cordoned off by Special Security Unit (SSU) commandos, Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) and rangers personnel.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed to Dawn that one injured paramilitary trooper was brought to the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds to his leg.

Meanwhile, a Reuters reporter at the scene said firing had ended and the situation was calm.

Earlier, law enforcers rushed to the incident site after heavy firing and an explosion were reported in the area, reported Dawn News.

Special units, including the Rapid Response Force and police commandos, were dispatched to the scene to take control of the situation, the broadcaster added.

The general area was also cordoned off by police and paramilitary personnel.

Rescue 1122 Sindh said it had received reports of an explosion near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5 and immediately dispatched teams to the scene from its central command and control centre.

According to the rescue service’s spokesperson, Chief Operating Officer Dr Abid Jalaluddin Sheikh was also dispatched to the incident site on the directives of Chief Minister’s Adviser on Rehabilitation Gyan Chand Essrani and Rescue 1122 (Sindh) Director General Brig (retd) Wajid Sibghatullah.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah earlier took notice of reports of an explosion and firing near Mosamiat Chowrangi and sought a detailed report of the incident, according to his spokesperson.

The chief minister contacted the Sindh inspector general and the Karachi additional inspector general (AIG), directing them to ensure that police immediately reached the site and took necessary action to ascertain the nature of the incident.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar also took notice of the incident in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and sought a detailed report from the AIG. He directed that all details of the incident be submitted as soon as possible, according to the Home Department.

The last major terrorist attack in the metropolis was a bombing near Karachi airport on October 6, 2024, which left one person dead and 11 others injured, including foreign nationals.

The attack was claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Police registered an FIR against leaders of the BLA and others three days after the incident.

In November 2024, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar confirmed the arrest of two suspects involved in the Karachi airport attack that targeted Chinese officials.

In February 2023, police and military personnel responded to an attack on the Karachi Police Office on Sharea Faisal.

An hours-long gun battle between terrorists and security forces — comprising Pakistan Army Special Service Group (SSG), Sindh Rangers and Sindh Police — left four people martyred and 19 injured. All three terrorists belonging to the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed.

After two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to the monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

According to the report, the country witnessed 128 terrorist attacks during May, compared to 101 attacks in April, representing a 27 per cent increase. The rise reversed the downward trend observed during the previous two months and underscored the persistent security challenges confronting conflict-affected regions of the country.

The death toll in Venezuela’s twin earthquake disaster reached 1,430 on Saturday, with millions more feared to lack sanitation and other basic needs as the first US aid flights trickled into Caracas.

Facing public outrage at the response by local officials, US-backed interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez said the country was “not alone”.

The United States said one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport was now functioning and that C-17 US military planes were landing there, while a naval ship had arrived off the coast.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said search-and-rescue teams from at least 17 countries were being mobilised to help find survivors.

But the search for survivors saw desperate attempts by local residents to claw away rubble from apartment buildings that collapsed in Wednesday’s double-quakes. Experts say the first 72 hours after natural disasters are the key, narrow window for finding the living.

There was joy in the hardest-hit coastal area of La Guaira, north of Caracas, when locals pulled an infant alive out of the wreckage on Friday, some 32 hours after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors.

Earlier today, the Venezuelan government said that 1,600 members of foreign rescue teams had arrived to help search for survivors of the devastating twin earthquakes.

Residents and volunteers in La Guaira, a popular destination for beachgoers where at least 100 buildings, many residential high-rises, were destroyed or damaged, have for days decried shortages of heavy equipment and a limited official presence.

Rodriguez said in an overnight address on state television that 10 more countries were still to join rescue efforts and 14,000 military and police members were in La Guaira to patrol and take sanitary measures.

“In recent hours, Venezuela has received 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 members of rescue teams, and over the next 24 hours, the arrival of 25 additional flights is expected,” said foreign ministry official Oliver Blanco.

“We thank the international community for its support and solidarity during these moments of uncertainty for Venezuelans,” Blanco added on X in the early hours of Saturday.

Rescuers have been making their way to sites around La Guaira state and Venezuela’s capital Caracas, although on Friday some areas were still largely without an official presence as families and neighbours struggled to find missing loved ones in the rubble, sometimes digging with their hands.

Officials closed the road between La Guaira and nearby Caracas on Friday evening, saying heavy traffic was preventing quick passage of emergency vehicles and official rescuers.

Civilians who are not part of official rescue teams will need a credential to pass the roadblock and Reuters witnesses were prevented from using the main road on Saturday morning by police, while an older secondary road was choked with traffic.

The government had previously thanked civilians who brought aid, often by motorcycle, to desperate residents. Venezuelan state television showed images of thousands of pairs of shoes, clothing and other aid being collected by the government.

While the power remained out near the quakes’ epicentre in Moron on Friday, as well as fully down in La Guaira, it was being restored in other places, with Rodriguez saying that 60 per cent of electricity had now been restored.

Venezuela’s power grid, crippled by years of underinvestment and economic sanctions, regularly experiences problems, leading to daily, hours-long blackouts in some regions.

54,000 missing

Although the government has said hundreds are missing or trapped, more than 54,000 people are listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country’s opposition.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which would place them among Latin America’s deadliest of the last century.

Nearly 7 million people could be affected, the UN said, estimating direct damage at about $6.7 billion.

The disaster could have political consequences for Rodriguez, who has tried to portray herself as an agent of change even though she served as vice president to Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted and arrested by the US in January.

Rodriguez spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday after meeting with the US military’s Northern Command and disaster experts.

The US said it was mobilising $150m in aid and easing sanctions, while its military dispatched two ships and said helicopters and aircraft would support rescue efforts.

Among the rescue teams working in La Guaira are a team from El Salvador, whose President Nayib Bukele has hailed multiple rescues on his X account, including that of a 15-year-old girl.

Looting has taken place at several sites in La Guaira, Reuters witnesses said.

Venezuela’s oil production was not affected by the quakes, Oil Minister Paula Henao said on Friday, adding that fuel distribution would be guaranteed. Oil executives and workers said the sector had avoided major infrastructure damage.