Cristiano Ronaldo had the win on his boot twice, and twice he could not take it. The 41-year-old missed a pair of close-range chances as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by World Cup debutants DR Congo in Houston.
Cristiano Ronaldo had the win on his boot twice, and twice he could not take it. The 41-year-old missed a pair of close-range chances as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by World Cup debutants DR Congo in Houston.
A match against DR Congo looked, to many Ronaldo fans, like a routine win. A chance for the Portugal star to shine and maybe catch his long-time rival, Messi, in the race for the Golden Boot. But instead, it turned into a frustrating afternoon for Ronaldo and his teammates. Portugal were held to a surprising 1-1 draw in their opening Group K match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A result that handed the Leopards the first point in their history and left Portugal's talisman still searching for a goal at a major tournament.
Portugal had a great start. Just six minutes into the match, Pedro Neto swung a cross in and João Neves rose to power a header into the far corner. But Portugal's rhythm was disrupted by DR Congo's discipline and determination. Their defenders remained compact and organized throughout the match, limiting Portugal's ability to create clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Portugal's lead lasted only until the first-half stoppage time, when Yoane Wissa climbed unmarked to meet Arthur Masuaku's corner and level it — the goal DR Congo had waited more than half a century for.
Portugal thought they were back in front early in the second half, only for João Cancelo's acrobatic finish to be chalked off for offside. Cédric Bakambu then rattled the post for Congo after shrugging off Bruno Fernandes. The clearest openings, though, kept falling to Ronaldo, and Portugal could not make their dominance of the ball count.
Roberto Martínez did not hide his disappointment. "We do have to improve. We have to be very self-critical," the Portugal coach said, before crediting the opposition: "They were intense, confident. They played like a big final in a big tournament, and that shows incredible personality. We knew Congo could do that. It wasn't a surprise."
Martínez defended his decision to keep Ronaldo on the field the entire match after many pointed out that the veteran captain's attitude may have been the problem. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry summed up Ronaldo's day with a piece of analysis for FOX Sports. "One thing that's important: the team needs to score, not you need to score," Henry said.
If the night belonged to Ronaldo's misses, the headline belonged to DR Congo. The point ended a long, painful wait. Their only previous World Cup came in 1974, played as Zaire, when they lost all three games, conceded 14 goals, including a 9-0 defeat by Yugoslavia, and went home without a single goal scored.
DR Congo coach Sébastien Desabre was glowing about his players, who he said: "represented the Congo in a very positive way — and the entire country deserves it."
Both teams are back in action on 23 June. Portugal stay in Houston to face Uzbekistan, while DR Congo travel to Guadalajara to meet Colombia.
