Portugal couldn’t get its World Cup campaign off to a winning start after being held to a 1–1 draw by DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo made history as the oldest-ever outfield player to start a World Cup match, at the grand old age of 41. However, it was 21-year-old João Neves—a player not yet born when Ronaldo made his international debut—who got Portugal underway with a fine header from Pedro Neto’s cross after just six minutes played.
Nerves settled by their early opener, Roberto Martínez’s men strolled through the first half but couldn’t create more clear-cut chances and were punished when Yoane Wissa rose highest to head in an equalizer right on half time. Meanwhile, the man most of Houston had come to see failed to register a shot in the opening 45.
After the break, Portugal huffed and puffed but made little headway, with an increasingly impressive DR Congo content to play on the break.
For all its dominance of the ball, Portugal couldn’t find a way through and ended the Group K opener frustrated. DR Congo, however, will be delighted.
The One Thing We Can’t Ignore
After Lionel Messi’s hat-trick heroics against Algeria, the bar was set for Ronaldo going into this match.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner set a new record as the World Cup’s oldest outfield player, but did nothing else to trouble the history books.
Incredibly, Ronaldo is now 10 games at major tournaments without scoring a goal, last finding the net at the 2022 World Cup with a penalty against Ghana.
He cuts a fine figure out on the pitch and the poacher’s instincts are clearly still there but, now into his fifth decade, Ronaldo is not the forward he once was. Portugal’s final xG of 0.64 tells its own story. While the service must be questioned, three shots (off target) and 25 touches is a poor return for one of the game’s true greats.
Not for the first time, he has become Portugal’s elephant in the room; the habit they just can’t quit.
Can Roberto Martínez afford to drop Ronaldo? Can he afford not to?
Portugal Player Ratings vs. DR Congo (4-2-3-1)
GK: Diogo Costa—6.9: Not much he could do about Wissa’s header. Made just one save all night.
RB: João Cancelo—7.1: Not as marauding or dynamic as many would’ve expected from the Barcelona star.
CB: Tomás Araujo—7.1: Poor in the air, which allowed Wissa to equalize. Rúben Dias’s presence and leadership was missed. He did, however, cut out a key pass in the second half that might’ve put DR Congo through on goal.
CB: Renato Veiga—6.8: The Villarreal center back was generally solid at the back, winning three out of his six ground duels.
LB: Nuno Mendes—6.4: Industrious but unable to bring his usual creative quality to Portugal’s left flank before being subbed at the second hydration break.
CM: João Neves—8.1: Out-jumped defenders many inches taller than him to head home Portugal’s opener after just six minutes.
CM: Vitinha—6.8: Subbed late on for added firepower. No player had more than his 134 touches.
RW: Bernardo Silva—5.7: Booked for an overly exuberant early lunge. Subbed at half time.
AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.0: Struggled to operate as the creative hub in the way he does for Manchester United. Took matters into his own hands with a late strike from range which was dragged wide.
LW: Pedro Neto—6.9: Perfect cross for the goal. He had little joy against Aaron Wan-Bissaka from then on.
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo—6.7: The captain was ineffective, but remained on for the whole game as Martínez gambled that a moment of magic would come.
SUB: Francisco Conceição (45’ for Bernardo Silva)—6.3: Busier and offered more width than Silva but couldn’t find that all-important breakthrough.
SUB: Rafael Leão (71’ for Pedro Neto)—6.1: The Milan man might have benefitted from an earlier introduction and barely had a sniff down the left.
SUB: Nelson Semedo (71’ for Nuno Mendes)—6.0: Poured forward whenever he could, but fiund himself coming up against roadblocks.
SUB: Gonçalo Ramos (83’ for Vitinha)—N/A
Subs not used: José Sá (GK), Rui Silva (GK), Diogo Dalot, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Nunes, Nelson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Rúben Neves, Samú, Trincão, Gonçalo Guedes, , Joao Félix
What the Ratings Tell Us
- It was a hugely disappointing day at the office for Ronaldo who couldn’t add to his eight World Cup goals. The forward managed just three off-target shots, created no chances and touched the ball in the opposition box just five times.
- Neves impressed early on with his leap for the opener, but it proved a false dawn for Portugal, who were unable to build on early control.
The Numbers That Explain Portugal’s Limp Display
- Portugal absolutely dominated possession with 75% against DR Congo, carved out just one shot on target in 90 minutes—Neves’ goal.
- In the end it was DR Congo who left with the better of the xG , leaving with 0.82 compared to Portugal’s 0.64.
| Statistic | Portugal | DR Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 75 | 25 |
| xG | 0.64 | 0.82 |
| Total Shots | 7 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 1 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 92% | 78% |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
