A very emotional Yoane Wissa in Atlanta.
Saturday (early hours Sunday in UK time) seeing DR Wissa training 1-0 and going out of the World Cup with only a quarter of the match remaining.
DR Wissa needing a win against Uzbelistan to progress.
Then two goals and a man of the match performance from Yoane Wissa helped turn it all around.
After the match, the Newcastle United striker ecstatic.
Yoane Wissa also wanting to reference a number of things.
Especially the fact that he experienced such a tough time the past year.
Getting his dream move to Newcastle United, only to instantly get injured for DR Congo in a World Cup qualifier. Then Yoane Wissa coming back too early from that serious injury and having setbacks, then struggling to get fully fit and find form for United.
Yoane Wissa explaining to AFP after the game just how much it meant to show his true form at this World Cup after he hadn’t been able to do (so far…) at Newcastle United: “That is why I’m even prouder than everyone else in this room…I didn’t show my best face at Newcastle United [last season] but I knew that my time would come. This time is now. I just show to everyone now I’m in a good place. I’m good physically, I’m good mentally. So that’s why I’m proud today to show that I’m a good player.”
This progress to the knockout stages at the 2026 World Cup means so much to the United striker, especially when it comes to his people back home in DR Congo with an Ebola outbreak for them to deal with, on top of a War that is raging there.
Yoane Wiss declaring: “We are a proud country. We are proud people. We love our country. We love our national team. We love what we represent. I think tonight showed that what it means for us is just to fight no matter what. It is not easy in our country. There is a war in East Congo. Every day, every time we wear this shirt, we think about them. That is why tonight, what we show is just to say that guys, no matter what, we need to keep going. Because we want peace and for them, I just say ‘thank you’. Thank you because we came from far. We came from nothing to be here. Now we write our story with a black pen and we need to be proud.”
This is the first time DR Congo have ever reached the knockout stages at a World Cup finals.
Indeed, they have now picked up their first ever points and goals, a draw and a win giving four points and Yoane Wissa scoring three of their four goals.
The reward for their progress is now a last 32 match against England on Wednesday 1 July (5pm UK time and to be shown on BBC1), Yoane Wissa stating: “I am happy with what we accomplished [in the group stage] and now there is another path waiting for us. A big beast is waiting for us and we need to enjoy this kind of game. We deserve to play against England, one of the best in the world. I am looking forward to what is coming next.”