Portugal held by DR Congo as Ronaldo blanks in World Cup draw
João Neves struck early, but Yoane Wissa’s stoppage-time equalizer gave DR Congo a first World Cup point and left Ronaldo blank in Houston.
Portugal arrived in Houston with Cristiano Ronaldo at the center of the story and left with a reminder that star power alone does not guarantee control. João Neves put Portugal ahead in the sixth minute, but Yoane Wissa leveled in first-half stoppage time as Democratic Republic of Congo claimed a 1-1 draw in Group K at NRG Stadium before 68,777 spectators, most of them in Portugal colors.
For DR Congo, the result was historic. The team was back at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years and, after last appearing in 1974 as Zaire, earned its first point in the competition’s history. Wissa’s equalizer was also DR Congo’s first World Cup goal, a milestone that turned a difficult opening into a night of tangible progress against one of the tournament’s marquee names.
Ronaldo had entered the match trying to become the first man to score in six different World Cups, but the finish never came. He missed chances in the 68th and 73rd minutes and was visibly frustrated as Portugal struggled to turn possession into pressure. The numbers told the story of the imbalance: Portugal held 75 percent of the ball but managed only seven attempts at goal, a sign that dominance in territory did not translate into enough decisive service for the 41-year-old forward.
That contrast sharpened the wider conversation around football’s most recognizable names. On Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé scored twice for France, Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut for Norway, and Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick for Argentina, moving level with Miroslav Klose on the men’s World Cup finals scoring list. Wayne Rooney had joked before kickoff that Ronaldo would be eager to answer those performances, but this was a night when the supporting cast and the structure around the star mattered more than reputation.
Roberto Martínez said the World Cup is a tournament where surprises happen and argued that it made no sense to remove Ronaldo when Portugal needed goals. BBC commentator Chris Sutton, however, criticized the decision to keep him on the pitch for the full match. The larger question for Portugal now is not whether Ronaldo can still command attention, but whether the team can build an attack flexible enough to function when his aura no longer guarantees a result.
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