Ronaldo Fails to Deliver as DR Congo Earn Historic World Cup Point Against Portugal
The day was supposed to belong to Cristiano Ronaldo. It ended belonging to Yoane Wissa. Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by a determined DR Congo side in Houston's NRG Stadium on Wednesday, as the Leopards secured the first World Cup point in their history and left one of the tournament's favourites with serious questions to answer heading into the group stage.
The result landed on a day when the rest of the footballing world had been buzzing with the kind of individual brilliance Ronaldo was expected to match. Erling Haaland had struck twice for Norway against Iraq, Kylian Mbappé had bagged a brace as France overcame Senegal, and Lionel Messi had produced the most memorable moment of the tournament so far - a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria. The contrast with Ronaldo's afternoon, in which he barely registered a meaningful touch in the final third, was stark enough that even the most loyal Portugal supporters will struggle to look away from it. For readers following the wider sporting landscape that day, the shift in fortune across disciplines was equally dramatic - much like tracking live snooker odds when the momentum of a frame swings without warning, sport has a way of humbling its most decorated names at the most visible moments.
Joao Neves had given Portugal the lead inside six minutes, but Wissa's header on the stroke of half-time, a perfectly timed near-post finish from Arthur Masuaku's whipped corner delivery, erased it entirely. Portugal dominated possession - 75 per cent across the 90 minutes, 80 per cent in the first half alone - and produced just a single shot on target in return. That is a damning number for any side with genuine title ambitions.
Ronaldo's Major Tournament Problem Will Not Go Away
At 41, Ronaldo remains a compulsive scorer in the right environments. He contributed five goals in five World Cup qualifying matches en route to this tournament and delivered 28 goals in 30 games for Al Nassr last season. But major tournaments have exposed a different reality for several years now. Across the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and this opening group game, he has managed only one goal - a penalty against Ghana at Qatar 2022. In that same period, Messi has scored nine times in World Cup football alone. The contrast does not require embellishment.
In Houston, Ronaldo attempted to contribute by playing as a structural device rather than a striker - drifting deliberately offside to stretch DR Congo's defensive line, then looking to receive crosses once the full-backs had been drawn in. He had two attempts from Francisco Conceição pullbacks. Neither required anything from the goalkeeper. Manager Roberto Martinez has guaranteed him every minute of Portugal's 2026 World Cup campaign regardless of form, and that decision is likely to continue generating debate. At this stage of his career, a more measured, impact-substitution role would arguably serve both player and team better. Instead, he lasted the full 90 and left little trace of himself on the game.
DR Congo Were More Than a Surprise - They Were Deserving
It would be reductive to frame this result purely through Portugal's failure. DR Congo, ranked 43rd in the world against Portugal's seventh, deserved their share of the spoils on the balance of play. They registered more shots than their opponents and produced a higher expected goals figure despite rarely having the ball. Defensively, led by captain Chancel Mbemba - who spent years at Newcastle United before moving on - they were disciplined, well-organised and physically committed throughout. Portugal, for all the technical elegance of Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Neves in midfield, rarely found a way to disrupt that structure at its core.
Wissa was the Leopards' fulcrum. His £55 million move from Brentford to Newcastle last summer had unravelled almost immediately - injuries restricted him badly across the season, he scored just three goals, and he did not start any of the final 22 matches of the club campaign. There was also irony in the fact that he had declined a call-up to represent his country at AFCON mid-season, citing the need to focus on his club form. Yet here, on football's grandest stage, Wissa looked sharper, more purposeful and more alive than he had at any point in a Newcastle shirt during 2025-26. His equaliser was earned through hard pressing, smart movement and clean execution. For DR Congo, it was historic. For Wissa, it was a form of redemption.
Portugal's Talent Does Not Yet Equal Portugal's Team
There is a credible argument that Martinez has assembled the most technically gifted squad at this World Cup - a case that could only be made for France as an alternative. The midfield depth and quality is, without overstatement, extraordinary. But talent and cohesion are not the same thing, and the gap between them was visible throughout this game. Knocking the ball between Bernardo, Neves, Vitinha and Fernandes in elegant triangles is pleasing to watch, but it produced almost nothing in terms of genuine danger. One shot on target from 75 per cent possession is not a platform from which titles are won.
Portugal's next fixture is against Uzbekistan and must bring improvement at the sharp end of the pitch if they are to assert themselves in Group K. DR Congo, meanwhile, face Colombia in Guadalajara - and based on what they produced against one of the competition's favourites, they will be nobody's easy afternoon. This tournament just gave African football another moment to hold onto, and Wissa another chapter worth writing about.
Jota's Memory Loomed Over the Entire Afternoon
Before the football, there was grief. Diogo Jota, who died alongside his brother André Silva in a car crash in July last year, would have been at the heart of this Portugal squad. His parents, Joaquim and Isabel Silva, attended the match as VIP guests. During the national anthem, a black-and-white image of Jota in a Portugal shirt was shown on the stadium's big screen. Several players - Bernardo Silva and Joao Neves visibly among them - had tears in their eyes on the pitch. In the stands, Jota's parents were understandably overwhelmed. It was one of those moments that strips sport down to its most human core.
Martinez had said before the tournament: "What matters now is that we get to fight for one of his dreams, which is winning the World Cup. There's no greater motivation than keeping his spirit alive in the national team." Portugal did not win on Wednesday. But the spirit was there. Now they need the football to match it.
