Yoane Wissa has been talking after playing his first ever match at a World Cup finals.
The Newcastle United striker creating history.
DR Congo played at the 1974 World Cup finals in Germany, known then as Zaire.
They lost all three group matches at that tournament 52 years ago, conceding 14 goals and scoring not a single one.
On Wednesday, DR Congo were up against Portugal and expected to be heavily defeated.
Even more so when Portugal took the lead on six minutes.
However, DR Congo battled back to win their first ever point at a World Cup finals AND Yoane Wissa scoring their first ever goal at the biggest tournament in the football calendar.
Yoane Wissa declaring: “I still can’t believe it…I called my mother after the match and she couldn’t stop crying. I know my name will now remain part of history. My mother means everything to me and so does my father. Playing for DR Congo is a way of honouring their sacrifices.”
After such a tough 2025/26 season, great to see such a great moment for the striker.
Yoane Wissa also paying tribute to the DR Congo fans: “This World Cup is for them, many people still don’t know much about Congo. We already felt that support during the play-off against Jamaica in Mexico. I want to say a huge thank you to the supporters because they had a massive impact on our performance.”
DR Congo actually ended up the team that most deserved to win the match, Portugal not a single effort on target after the sixth minute opening goal.
Yoane Wissa asked what he felt when his excellent headed goal hit the back of the net just before half-time: “What did I feel…? My whole life flashed before my eyes. I had waited for this moment for decades, just like the entire country, I saw myself again as a little boy dreaming of becoming a professional footballer. Emotionally, it was incredibly powerful.”
Next up for DR Congo is a Group K match against Colombia in Guadalajara on Wednesday.
Best of luck to him and his international teammates.
The 2026 World Cup group games schedule for Newcastle United players:
Saturday 13 June
Morocco 1 Brazil 1 (Bruno Guimaraes assist for Vinicius Jnr equaliser)
Sunday 14 June
Curacao 1 Germany 7 (Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade unused subs)
Monday 15 June
Tunisia 1 Sweden 5 (Anthony Elanga introduced in the 91st minute when Sweden led 4-1)
Wednesday 17 June
Portugal 1 DR Congo 1 (Yoane Wissa with a brilliant headed goal to equalise just before the break)
Croatia 2 England 4 (Dan Burn an unused sub)
Saturday 20 June
Haiti v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes) World Cup group match 1.30am ITV
Ivory Coast v Germany (Malick Thiaw, Nick Woltemade) World Cup group match 9pm ITV
Netherlands v Sweden (Anthony Elanga) World Cup group match 6pm BBC
Tuesday 23 June
Ghana v England (Dan Burn) World Cup group match 9pm BBC
Wednesday 24 June
Scotland v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes) World Cup group match 11pm BBC
Colombia v DR Congo (Yoane Wissa) World Cup group match 3am ITV
Thursday 25 June
Ecuador v Germany (Malick Thiaw, Nick Woltemade) World Cup group match 9pm BBC
Friday 26 June
Japan v Sweden (Anthony Elanga) World Cup group match 12am BBC
Saturday 27 June
Panama v England (Dan Burn) World Cup group match 10pm ITV
Sunday 28 June
Uzbekistan v DR Congo (Yoane Wissa) World Cup group match 12.30am BBC