At the 2026 World Cup in Houston, Portugal and Congo were level 1-1 at halftime after a surprise first-half performance. Congo’s goal came from Yohan Wissa, the Newcastle forward who turned an injury-hit season into a historic moment for his national team.
Wissa joined Newcastle at the start of the season for nearly 60 million euros, but soon suffered a knee injury that kept him out for a long stretch. During that absence, he missed the Africa Cup of Nations, and even after returning he was used sparingly, averaging less than 30 minutes per game.
On Wednesday night, against a major European opponent, Wissa finally made the breakthrough. Just before the interval, he headed in Congo’s equalizer, creating what the report called the first World Cup goal in the country’s history.
The article describes the season as one that began in heartbreak and is now ending with Wissa’s sweetest possible moment, as he became an unexpected national hero in the opening stage of the tournament.
