Yoane Wissa scored for DR Congo as they opened their African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Kinshasa. The Newcastle United number 9 turned and finished superbly to put recent disappointment behind him after missing a penalty against Hull City.
Wissa responds after penalty miss
Matthias Jaissle will be pleased to see Wissa grab a much-needed goal after leading the line for Newcastle without too much reward for his work rate this season. Former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba, now playing for Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League, also netted for his country in the comfortable win.
Jaissle had told Chronicle Live just before the international break: "He led on a high level. Yoane sacrificed a lot for the team and worked a lot out of possession for the team. Missing penalties can happen. But he showed up and showed personality in the second half."
International campaign continues
DR Congo now head to Zimbabwe for a second AFCON qualifier before rounding off their autumn international series with two friendly games against Uganda. Just as importantly for Wissa, he got through the game unscathed a year after the knee injury he suffered playing for DR Congo against Senegal, which cost him the first three months of his Newcastle career.
After scoring, Wissa celebrated with the 'Fimbu', translated to whip, the same way he did after his overhead kick against Spurs at the start of the season in a 2-0 win. "It's a dance we like to do in my country. So every time I score a goal, I use it to pay tribute to my country," he said.
Key role under Jaissle
Wissa's presence in the Newcastle squad has been deemed vital by Jaissle, who named him in his leadership group, just months after he was close to leaving the Magpies when Trabzonspor came in for his services. Wissa said: "We needed players to step up, like me for instance. I didn't play [well] last year, and now I have the chance to play. Many players have to step up and enjoy the challenge, with the fans behind us, nobody can stop us."
