DR Congo, making its first World Cup appearance since the nation was Zaire in 1974, scored its first World Cup goal in a 1-1 draw with Portugal in Houston on Wednesday.
Yoane Wissa made history for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) when he scored the team’s first-ever goal at a World Cup in the group stage match against one of the tournament favourites, Portugal, in Houston.
Yoane Wissa scored the game-tying goal with the last play of the first half off a DR Congo corner.
The 29-year-old Newcastle United forward made the most of a corner five minutes into the second half of the match on Wednesday, as his header found the back of the net — and made history — upon DR Congo’s return to the World Cup after 52 years.
The goal served as an equaliser after Joao Neves scored for Portugal in the sixth minute to send their fans, who turned the Houston Stadium in the United States into a sea of red, into wild celebrations.
Before Wednesday’s game, DR Congo was most known for one of the worst World Cup losses ever. In 1974, Zaire lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia, a game that is still tied for the biggest margin of victory in tournament history. Now, the country has a legitimate chance of making it to the Round of 32 in a group that also includes Colombia and Uzbekistan.
DR Congo got one of the final spots in the World Cup earlier in the spring when it won the African qualifying playoffs with wins over Cameroon and Nigeria. After those wins, DR Congo needed extra time to beat Jamaica in the Inter-confederation playoff.
