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Yoane Wissa made history for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) when he scored the team’s first World Cup goal in the Army. game against one of his favorite teams, Portugalin Houston.
The Newcastle United striker, 29, produced a superb performance five minutes into the second half of Wednesday’s game, as his header found the net – and set a record – as DR Congo returned to the World Cup after 52 years.
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The score was leveled after Joao Neves scored for Portugal in the sixth minute to send their fans, who had turned the Houston Stadium in the United States into a sea of red, into wild celebrations.
Wissa’s goal, too, was celebrated in the stadium and around the world as social media users shared videos of Portuguese and Congolese fans enjoying a historic goal from one of Africa’s most famous players.
Five years ago, Wissa must have never dreamed of this moment when she recovered from an acid attack that left her severely injured and required emergency eye surgery after severe chemical burns.
On July 1, 2021, Wissa opened the door of her house to a woman who tried to steal her daughter and threw acid in her face. The assailant attacked another woman with acid the next day and was identified on July 3.
He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January 2025 with the possibility of life in prison.
It took Wissa six months to recover from the attack, which left him shaken but he was determined to continue his career playing top-flight football in France at FC Lorient.
“Although he was affected physically and mentally, Yoane immediately showed his determination to win,” Lorient manager Christophe Pelissier, who visited the hospital the day after the attack, told the BBC last year.
“What impressed me the most about him was his strong will and how he never gave up.”
Pierre-Yves Hamel, who played alongside Wissa at Lorient, also praised him.
“After it happened, he didn’t complain,” Hamel told the BBC. “He immediately wanted to move forward, and today’s development is a worthy reward for his efforts.
“When Yoane has an idea in mind, he will do everything in his power to make it happen – no matter how long it takes.”
The words have deep meaning after Wissa became his country’s talisman at the World Cup as Congo held Portugal 1-1 in Houston.
In the past, Neves’ goal came with his own thoughts, with the Portuguese carrying memory of his late friend Diogo Jota through competition.
Jota, pa died in a car accident along with his brother last summer, he was honored in the stadium photo shoot in front of the K team and their parents. The band sported a pair of wristbands bearing the name Jota.
Lifelong trauma, insomnia
Wissa gave emotional testimony in court as her attacker, identified as 36-year-old Laetitia P, was on trial in France.
He also described water being thrown in his face and his wife calling the paramedics, who told him to get down and wash his eyes.
“At the hospital, they told me my eyes were burned. Someone had to come and wash them every hour. It’s been terrible,” he said in court, according to ESPN UK.
“Since then, I’ve been scared every time I hear a noise, and the only thing that has kept me going is knowing that my children are safe.” I had surgery on both eyes, and the doctor told me that I would need to use eye drops for the rest of my life.
If I hadn’t been helped so quickly, the outcome would have been much worse.
Wissa, who finally joined Brentford on a four-year deal a month after the incident while recovering, revealed the trauma of his life.
He said: “Since that time, I started to isolate myself and I can no longer allow myself to interact with people I don’t know.”
“Now I don’t show love like I used to, and when I walk, I naturally look behind me, and at night I can’t sleep anymore when I’m alone.
“My children often ask me what I have done in front of me, but they are too young to tell them what happened. I had an operation but I refused because of this and my reputation.”
“My wife and I saw a psychologist, and she was depressed.
