Portugal and their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo were left frustrated after being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their Group K opener at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Houston.
Twenty-four hours after Messi scored three and cried tears of joy, Ronaldo played 90 minutes and walked off without a goal.
How the Match Unfolded
Both goals came in the first half.
Portugal made the perfect start — Pedro Neto crossed for João Neves to head home from 15 metres just after five minutes. Then came the blow: Yoane Wissa responded with a header of his own on the stroke of half-time.
Portugal thought they had restored their lead in the 55th minute when João Cancelo produced a spectacular overhead kick from a Bruno Fernandes cross. Celebrations were cut short — VAR ruled the goal out for offside in the buildup.
ESPN’s live match report captured the damning second-half statistic: Portugal’s only shot on target in the entire game was the João Neves header in the fifth minute. A squad of this quality managed one shot on target in 90 minutes.
DR Congo Made History
Before tonight, DR Congo had not played a World Cup match since a 3-0 defeat to Brazil in West Germany in 1974 — 52 years between World Cup appearances. When they returned, they did not just participate. They took a point off Portugal.
That is the story of this World Cup so far. Smaller nations are not here to lose. DR Congo held Portugal. Algeria fought hard before Messi’s brilliance broke them.
Ronaldo’s Final World Cup Is Not Going to Plan
At 41 years old, in his sixth World Cup, Ronaldo started and played the full 90 minutes. His first World Cup appearance came in Germany in 2006. Twenty years later, he is still chasing the one trophy he has never won.
After tonight, the chase got harder. Messi set the standard on Tuesday. Ronaldo could not match it on Wednesday. That narrative — Messi flying, Ronaldo struggling — is the biggest storyline at this World Cup so far.
That does not mean Portugal are eliminated. Group K still has Uzbekistan and Colombia remaining. But the opener was supposed to be the comfortable one. It was not.
