Yoane Wissa, a Newcastle United forward, has gone from a major knee injury and limited club minutes to scoring a landmark goal for DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup. The match came on Wednesday evening in Houston, where Portugal and Congo were level 1-1 after 45 minutes, in one of the tournament’s early surprises.
Wissa, who joined Newcastle at the start of the season for nearly 60 million euros, was sidelined for a long stretch after injuring his knee soon after arriving. That absence cost him the Africa Cup of Nations, and even after returning he played less than half an hour on average per match.
Against a major European opponent, he delivered just before halftime. Wissa headed in Congo’s equalizer, becoming an unexpected national hero and writing his name into the history books with what the article says was Congo’s first-ever World Cup goal.
The story frames his campaign as one that began in heartbreak and is now ending with his sweetest moment yet.
