Righto, Nick Ames’ match report is with us.
That means we’re done here, so thanks for your company and comments – sorry I couldn’t use them all – and do join Scott for England v Croatia. Peace.
“For Alex and any other Ronaldo fan,” says Matjaz Hribar, “68th and 74th minutes illustrate the ‘Ronaldo problem’ perfectly. Amazing players are reduced to waiting staff, expected to deliver coffee to the captain no matter what. Not just to deliver but PERFECTLY deliver because he cannot bother to receive the ball and create something for himself. In 68th minute he even took coffee that would be much more tasty for Bruno behind him. At least his hands are going up much less often than at previous championships … but he spends more and more time pedestrianising behind last line of Congolese players. Wonderful generation, these Portuguese players, very unlucky to have Ronaldo’s presence and Martinez’s ineptitude…”
Of the favourites, I don’t think it’s controversial to say France have been most impressive. I wonder if they actually played well, or if Michael Olise was just on one, but it barely matters – he’s now good enough to do that on a regular, and it’s hard to get more than one man on him because of the quality around him. I do, think there are much better midfields than France’s, but converting that on-paper superiority into scoring more goals than them is not easily done.
Is there another game imminent? I’d thought not, but apparently there is – and the great Scott Murray is bringing it youse.
Alex returns on Ronaldo: “I think the answer boils down less to ‘it is impossible to play a modern style’ and more ‘Portugal don’t have the tools to cover his lack of defensive running like some other teams do’. The question of what he offers is a different one, and I do agree that when I see him play these days it is something between a twinge of sadness and a sense of my own mortality that his difficulties moving around evince. I’d like to see him as a super sub!”
I agree, off the bench he’d be a weapon. I also think that Messi drops and helps with buildup, something Ronaldo also doesn’t do. Essentially, if he doesn’t score goals that are created for him, he doesn’t offer anything and, as we saw against Algeria, the same is not so of Messi.
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Oh man, BBC have just shown footage from Lisbon, where people were watching the game, and when DRC score, a crew of about 15 go up, shouting and dancing. It’s great to see, and speaks well of the people around them – there are many places, I’m sure, where doing that would be bad for your health.
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So how do Portugal improve? As I said below, if they’re sticking with Ronaldo – and nothing I’ve seen from Martinez tells me he’s the will or minerals to leave him out – I’d move Bernardo central, get the full-backs high, and try and get some tempo in the passing. If I’m leaving Ronaldo out, I’m probably bringing in Ramos, but also wondering if Neto or Leao might work up front.
The other game in this group. Uzbekistan v Colombia, kicks off seven hours from now. I’m not sure this result will delight either, who probably want Portugal to beat everyone, but at the same time, they’ve been shown how to stop them. Knowing and doing, though, are very different things.
FULL TIME: Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
After 52 year away, DR Congo are back, have their first World Cup point, and haven’t they deserved it, a lesson in fortitude, resilience, organisation and no little quality. Brilliant behaviour from them, a glorious buzz for us, and also a lesson for Portugal, who need to improve – a lot.
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90+4 min Another Portugal corner, another come-and-claim from Mpasi, and that might be enough!
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90+4 min We’ve not even been going a week, but already these are some serious group stages; the problem is that, for all the vibes, there’s not much jeopardy, but when they’re this joyous and intense, we can cope.
90+2 min Moutoussamy turns around the corner for Wissa, so Araujo, isolated with bare space in behind, bodychecks him; he’s booked.
90+1 min We’ll have five additional minutes.
90 min Portugal won’t panic – next for them it’s Uzbekistan – but though they’ve not looked as dull-witted as Spain did, there should be greater cohesion about them than this. They find Bruno, 25 yards out, who bored of relying on others, drills low … and wide of the near post. What a night is in prospect in Kinshasa and around the country; I’m excited from my box-room in north London.
88 min Cancelo drives a low cross into the box and Mpasi is in trouble here because he daren’t fumble … and he doesn’t, diving on it well. He’s been very solid today.
87 min Ramos spreads to Leao, who tries to go at Kalulu with no momentum, and just runs into him. This is wonderful stuff from DRC, an uplifting lesson in the art and craft of defending.
85 min Two more changes for DRC: Kalulu and Banza for Wan-Bissaka and the righteously shattered Bakambu.
83 min Portugal sacrifice Vitinha to get another striker on in the shape of Goncalo Ramos. I’d have made that change a while ago – a front two is much harder to defend than a one, especially when you’re sending in crosses and that one is ancient.
81 min But also, they’re miles away. Ten minutes and whatever’s added is a long time – though they’re looking pretty comfortable, a credit to Sébastien Desabre, who ‘s coached them. Again, they counter cleverly, Kayembe making a mess of his cross, but this isn’t simply a rearguard; they’re springing whenever they can and a winner for them wouldn’t be a massive shock. This is a lesson in how to play against a top team, the mentality – discipline in defence, conviction in attack – as critical as any tactical approach.
80 min Bruno is exerting more influence now and he turns in midfield, then lofts another pass over the top, this time out wide, for Conceicao … so Kapaudi fouls him. But he was already offside, meaning DRC have a free-kick, and they’re nearly there.
77 min DRC counter, Bakamubu barrelling through the middle and finding Sadiki, outside him. He then stops – exactly! – collects the return, and sidefoots wide of the near post. He’s played really well today, a one-man forward-line; his performance reminds me a little of El-Hadji Diouf’s for Senegal against France in the opening game of the 2002 edition, and not just because of their bleached blond hair.
77 min Portugal win another corner down the right, but Bruno’s floaty outswinger is miserable, in the air so long, Mpasi comes a fair way to collect.
76 min Gosh, alone in midfield, Sadiki has Wissa in space, snaps the ball forward … and Araujo stretches to intercept. That was very, very close, and superb defending with no margin for error.
74 min Better again from Portugal, Leao square to Bruno, whose first-time pass picks out Conceicao inside the box, right-hand side. This time, his cut-back is reasonable, but again, Ronaldo’s shot spins around the near post, Tuanzebe’s tackle doing plenty to put him off. He’s having another stormer.
72 min Before we recommence, that change we mentioned: Leao is on, replacing Neto, whole Semedo is on for Nuno Mendes.
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71 min Martinez is extremely animated in the huddle, which brings us to Hugh Collins. “Presumably if Portugal go out in first round, Martinez will get and even better job? Managing Brazil, or maybe running SpaceX?”
Ha! And I agree, for what it’s worth, that what he did with Belgium made him someone I’d absolutely have swerved were I picking the Portugal manager, and also think he’s doing well to still be in it.
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70 min And that is drinks ads. I actually think that’ll suit both teams, Portugal needing to regroup and DRC needing a breather.
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68 min More like it from Portugal, Cancelo slipping a ball into the box for Conceicao, whose cut-back isn’t the best, slightly behind Ronaldo, but Bruno is there behind him … and you can probably guess the rest. Yup, Ronaldo takes the shot anyway, skewing it from right foot on to left, and wide of the near post.
66 min DRC are defending really well and look more comfortable in the second half, now they’re also looking to get forward when they can. We said at the start that their defence is decent, and Portugal are starting to irate, Mbemba dragging Mendes down – and he’s not pleased.
65 min Cancelo tries to slide a ball into the box for Conceicao, but Kapaudi is in quickly to challenge. Portugal need to move the ball quicker and pass forward sooner.
63 min What we’re not seeing from Portugal is Ronaldo darting off the last line to take passes nipped in behind by Bruno. I also thought we might see them strike up a similar cross-header relationship to the he forged with Casemiro last season, but so far, they don’t seem to be trying to make it happen.
61 min But he picks out Wissa, who heads away, and when the ball comes back, it ends up over the by-line for a goalkick. Portugal have created almost nothing this half; actually, in this game, and I don’t think it’ll be long before we see Leao, who I’d have sent on ahead of Conceicao.
60 min Conceicao, who’s been quiet so far, wins a corner down the right, this time to be taken by Mendes…
58 min DRC send on Sadiki for Mukau.
57 min The corner is no good, but DRC sustain the attack and, with Bruno dallying on the ball inside his own box, Bakumbu bounces him off it, then rams a shot against the near post … before the ref penalises him for a foul. That’s harsh and, had he scored, I don’t think VAR would’ve saved Portugal.
55 min Fernandes picks out a cross to Neves, swinging in from the left to the far side of the box, and Neves chests square for Cancelo to score via volleyed overhead, a brilliant goal … but from an offside position. I wonder if Neves, who was on, might’ve headed for goal, or taken down for himself, but in the meantime, DRC move downfield and win a corner. They fancy this, and they’re playing well.
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53 min Mendes plays a one-two with Ronaldo, motoring into the box, but when the cut-back comes, Tuanzebe, with a bit of help, from Kapaudi, slides in to avert the danger.
53 min He goes low, looking for Ronaldo peeling away – think Anderton for Sherigham at Spurs in the mid-90s – but the ball’s a little behind him and Kapaudi is there to make the tackle.
52 min Portugal haven’t got going in the second half, but they’ve got themselves a corner because Mpasi hangs on to the ball for too long, losing his goalkick. That’s the first of these I’ve seen, and Bruno goes over to take.
50 min DRC knock it about in midfield, getting Portugal chasing, then Mukau punches into the box from out on the right, Bakambu screaming for the ball; he swivels and shoots, Diogo Costa just about palming away … then the flag goes up for offside.
48 min Portugal get it wide to Neto, who again teases in an inviting cross, Conceicao going down in a challenge with Masuaku and asking for a penalty, but there nowhere near enough going on there.
47 min “I must say,” must says Adam Foster, “Wayne Rooney’s explanation on BBC of the amazing intelligence involved in Ronaldo’s lack of movement is giving me Liz Truss vibes.”
I know what you mean, but also think standing still is an underrated skill; Bruno Fernandes also does this intelligently.
46 min We go again, Portugal sent out very early by Martinez – who also sends on Conceicao for Bernardo, presumably on the basis that he wants dribbling and speed on the outside, rather than a cunning passer and mover.
Half-time email: “Just so I am clear,” begins Pete Mumola, “when Arsenal score off a corner, it’s set piece drudgery sullying the beautiful game, but DR Congo’s effort is described as ‘perfection’ ...”
I’m not sure i’ve ever criticised Arsenal for being good at set-pieces. But seeing as you asked, I’d like to have seen a bit more attacking flair – for a while last season, it felt like a set-piece or nothing – and a bit more of the kind of clean goal DRC scored, rather than sticking a ball under the bar, crowding the keeper, and hoping to get something. That, though is my aesthetic preference, not a moral position. A goal is a goal is a goal, a beauty of the game that a brilliant one is worth the same as a stuffy one.
Also going on:
HALF-TIME: Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
The goal was the final touch of the half, and I’m sure it happened exactly as Congo planned, the second movements after the ball goes short giving them the overload; there followed perfection, and do we got ourselves a ball-game? We got ourselves a ball-game!
GOOOOAAALLL! Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Wissa 45+5)
OY MY DAAAAAAAAYS! Fifty-two years after their last World Cup appearance, DRC have a goal! The corner goes short to Masuaku, Congo have an overload at the back post, and the ball in picks out Wissa, left alone, who leaps to punish a header past Diogo Costa! Celebrations are glorious, feelings of love and joy zooming around the world, and what a moment this is, exactly why we’re here and one that’ll live forever!
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45+5 min Mbemba twisted his ankle winning the corner off Fernandes, so takes treatment, then we’re good to go again.
45+3 min Masuaku inside into Bakambi, who sends him away down the line, then he cuts back to Moutoussamy on the edge. This time, he tries a curler and again, he hits a man close by, this time a defender, and the ball loops behind. The corner yields another.
45+1 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
45 min In space, 25 yards out, Moutoussamy takes a pass from Mukau and decides to shoot after looking like he’s seeking any other alternative, ramming his effort into Wissa.
44 min “Quite right, returns Charles Antaki, who knows how to get himself published. “Portugal’s strip hasn’t been anything like us distinctive or pleasing since they changed from the old bulls-blood dark red shirt (as on their flag) to the dull high-street red indistinguishable from anybody else’s. Yes, I know that it probably sells better. Bah.”
42 min Portugal continue moving the ball but they’ve not created loads other than the goal. There’s a confidence about them, though – I don’t want to keep comparing them to Spain, but it’s our best reference point, and they’re playing with a lot more confidence and conviction.
40 min “I noticed today’s hydration break is instead labelled as a ‘match break’, says Justin Madson who, if I remember correctly, is in the US. “Seems the suits got tired of lying about the reason for the break.”
Or its deployment in matchers such as this one, where there’s no need, could not longer be defended.
38 min Bruno tosses another pass over the top for Mendes, who breaks into the box … then can’t find a pass. Those lofted passes for runners attacking the space are working really well for Portugal; without proper wingers, Spain wouldn’t do that against Cape Verde, though of course that’s not just because Lamine and Williams didn’t play but because De La Fuente picked Gave and Ferran to replace them when he might’ve tried Pino.
35 min “I don’t remember Ronaldo getting up to much in Euro 2016 other than being his usual petulant self,” says Fedor Tot. “He scored just three goals, and people forget that Portugal scraped through their group as one of the best third-placed teams, having drawn all three of their games. They won just once in normal time (Wales in the semis). His one good performance was in the final group game against Hungary, where his two goals admittedly rescued them to a 3-3 draw and got them through. In a ‘proper’ tournament without the best 3rd-placed nonsense they’d never have won!”
Oh I agree they weren’t a great team but, as you say, Ronaldo dragged them through that Hungary game and also scored the first against Wales in the semi. Nothing we’d seen of the team suggested not having him for the majority of the final was a good thing
33 min Kapaudi finds Kayembe, who takes the ball nicely, at inside-left, advances, and shoots … but the effort is deflected, off Veiga I think, and Diogo Costa catches easily enough.
32 min Mbemba jumps into Neto, elbow up but tight to his body, then yanks his shirt on the way down. He’s booked, a decision that seems harsh to me, then Mendes’ free-kick is kicked clear.
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30 min Nice feet from Wan-Bissaka – do not adjust your sets, that is not a misprint – and he finds Wissa infield. From there, the ball goes wide, but Bakambu’s cross is headed away.
30 min And again, they try another low cross, this time through Cancelo on the right, a little deeper … but the ball has just too much on it for Ronaldo.
28 min We’re off again and Veiga flips a tasty pass over the top and down the line for Neto, who screeches forward and looks to find Ronaldo with a low cross … but a defender knocks it behind. Threcorner comes to nothing, and Portugal build again.
26 min It’s been pretty easy for Portugal so far – they’re being allowed to knock it about – but they’re so good at that, and if DRC press them, they leave space in behind. Really, the problem is the goal they conceded – they let Portugal have it for free, and know if they concede another, it’s over.
24 min We’re playing in a roofed, airconned stadium; it’s time for a hydration break.
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22 min Portugal, er, “possess the football”.
20 min I wonder if, assuming they make the knockouts, Martinez has any plans to play bernardo a little deeper. At the moment, he’s off the right, but it’d be hard for any team to avoid being dominated by a trio of him, Vitinha and Neves. I also think Portugal have full-backs on whom they can rely for width, so a 4-3-1-2, with Bruno in the one and Neto alongside bruno in the two, feels like me to be their best big-game setup.
18 min The first flash of Bruno a lofted pass, with curl, into the path of Mendes, who bursts into the box between two defenders and, just as he’s about to shoot, Wan-Bisska wan-bissakas him, sliding in to heel the ball away. It hits the keeper’s chest, bounces out, and Buno picks up possession, dragging a shot wide of the far post.
16 min “Instant favourite football kit of this World Cup,” says Charles Antaki. “I don’t think many African teams wear light blue; probably because it’s not a popular colour in African flags. Anyway DRC have found a colour that seems to shine out in the gloom, with a pleasing flames-type design when you see it in close-up. Portugal a bit boring in all red. On the other hand, they are winning the game.”
It’s a little strange, actually – I’d expect Portugal’s shorts to be green, and the shade of red is much pinkier and less deep than usual, one you might think works better as an item of clothing, but doesn’t do it for me in the context of a football jersey.
14 min Better again from DRC, Bakamubu swerving around Mendes and Veiga, with men free, but he opts to shoot from 22 yards, the ball flying off Araujo and behind … for a corner that comes to nowt. I like what I’ve seen from the underdogs since they went behind.
13 min Bernardo launches himself into a challenge on Kayembe, of Watford, introduces studs to achilles, and he’s booked. Roonaldo points out that it’s his first offence, and it is: his first yellow-card offence.
11 min DRC’s first attack, Wan-Bissaka advancing down the right and the ball moving infield, Bakambu’s shot blocked before Wissa fires just wide with his left foot.
11 min “I believe you’re quite right about Ronaldo being a liability and Messi still an inspiration – and not only because Messi has always been a player of a higher class,” writes Geoff Wignall. “My many years of living in Portugal included the Euros triumph. From the admittedly small sample of a crowded local bar in which I was the lone estranjeiro, at least half the assembly felt Portugal’s chances improved once Ronaldo went off injured. This was in real time, not in retrospect: many comments about how, “now they can play as a team” – and he was much younger then. The reaction might also have been influenced of course by the number of Portuguese who can’t stand the bloke, notwithstanding the media narrative.”
Yeah, that’s definitely personal, because Ronaldo dragged them to that final more or less by himself. I seem to recall that when he went down, I contacted my local turf accountant for a price in France, which went well for me.
9 min I doubt DRC change their tactics now they’re behind – they’d take 1-0 after 70 minutes, I’m sure, and given goal difference is likely to decide which of the third-placed teams go through, there’s a lot to be said for a narrow defeat against one of the best sides in the competition.
GOAL! Portugal 1-0 DR Congo (Neves 6)
Neto tosses in a cross from left and, not for the first time, Neves is up, to glance a terrific header across Mpasi and into the far side-netting. DRC will wonder how, when they’ve got five defenders, a diminutive midfielder was able to score like that, but you can be good in the air without being tall, and he is.
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6 min So far, the pattern of this game is similar to Spain v Cape Verde, attack against defence. But there’s more ingenuity about the way Portugal move – the ball and off it – Cancelo’s low cross whizzing across the face of goal, no one close enough to tap or slide it in.
5 min Portugal eschew an opportunity to put a ball into the box to keep passing – which I get, but I imagine Ronaldo fancies early service, and backs himself to win aerial challenges.
3 min Ronaldo takes his first touch and the buzz in the crowd is palpable. On which point, Mary Waltz emails in: “I am a massive Messi fan. But this need to pick one of them and rip the other is silly. Yes, the humble little guy Messi is easier to relate to than the at times arrogant Adonis but as far as football talent goes it is a 50/50 coin flip.
As blokes, I wouldn’t say I relate to either of them, though guess I “prefer” Messi; as players, I disagree. Obviously I think Ronaldo is incredible and the best player I’ve seen at my own club, but in the pantheon, I don’t think it’s close – Messi is miles ahead, “for me”.
2 min DRC are indeed fielding a back five, but it’s noticeable that, when Portgual have the ball in their own half, they’re stepping up quickly as a unit.
1 min Portugal kick-off and don’t go for touch as per the current vogue, instead keeping possession. They’re so out, dudes.
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Righto, our teams huddle and we’re good to go.
The DRC players give their anthem plenty, and what a moment this is for the Congolese and their on-pitch representatives. Club football runs the world, but international tournaments agitate emotions in a way that’s completely different.
Anthem time – and, though we’ve been deprived of Il Canto degli Italiani, I’m a big fan of Portugal’s.
“When Messi scored a tap-in after a goalkeeping howler last night, the co-commentator called him a genius,” says Niall Mullen. “It’s early doors to hit the hyperbole so hard but I am interested to see if it escalates. Perhaps tonight Ronaldo will be declared a singular legend for winning a corner?”
In fairness, Messi is a genius and Ronaldo is a legend. I actually enjoyed that tap-in finish too, first because, after all these years, Messi was still the one alive to the potential for a fumble, and also because the finish, though simple, was still perfection, the angle at which he rolled it in making it impossible for the keeper to recover.
…and here they come!
Our teams are tunnelled…
Yoane Wissa is a player with plenty to prove in this competition. If we’re honest, he was something of a panic-buy, Newcastle under pressure to find someone who’d come to them and landing on him. But he won’t have expected to play as little as he did and presumably needs to find a new club, so could really do with excelling. And if there’s a weakness in this Portugal side, it’s at the back so, while he might not get much of the ball, when DRC get it forward, he’s a chance.
Learn more about Lumumba here; the film, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État – nominated for an Oscar in 2025 – is also worth your time.
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I like DRC’s training tops. More news as I get it.
I’m looking forward to seeing Lumumba Vea in situ. His tribute to Patrick Lumumba, Congo’s first prime minister until his assassination, reminds us of the social and political struggles the country has had through on fault of its own. He is what the World Cup is all about.
I enjoyed Jacob Steinberg’s piece on Thomas Tuchel. Jacob covered him at Chelsea too, so knows and has observed him; I bet I’m not the only person to put TC Boyle’s Water Music on their wishlist.
“You wrote ‘Cristiano Ronaldo, his inability to press making it almost impossible to play a modern style’”, says Alex. “I wonder how the reigning world champions were capable of it despite being led by a man who hasn’t defended at all for more than a decade? Why is this narrative so much more emphasised with Ronaldo than so many other players who offer nothing defensively?”
Argentina had Rodrigo De Paul doing Lionel Messi’s running – I’m not sure Portugal have anyone able to do a similar job. It’s also the case that Messi offers more than just the final touch, which Ronaldo doesn’t really, and that without him, Argentina wouldn’t have got close to winning the last tournament, whereas I think Portugal would be better without Ronaldo because the rest of their attack is so good. Finally, I think the eye test confirms that – I watch Portugal frustrated they don’t have a more mobile man up front; watching Argentina, I don’t feel that way.
Email! “Let’s not forget that Cristiano Ronaldo, in an alternative World Cup not driven by profit, would be serving a three-game ban now for violent behaviour,” remembers Justin Kavanagh. “But Infantino has learned to honour the time-traditions of the host country, where laws are just for little people, inapplicable to the rich.”
Yup, as the story below illustrates. I guess in the context of the competition, the decision to let Ronaldo off has been largely ignored because there’s so much worse going on, but it is a stain on the competition’s sporting integrity.
Great news!
In the context, obviously.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how Axel Tuanzebe does in this one. As a teenager, he was viewed as a blue-chip prospect, and his performance when Manchester United won away to PSG in 2020 was magnificent. But injuries took their toll and things haven’t quite worked out for him since, but it was his goal that took DRC here and I’m expecting a decent performance from him because his top level is a good level.
I’m glad Portugal have played a proper winger, not Félix, who now looks destined not to fulfil the potential he had at 19, when Atlético Madrid paid £113m for him. Neto has pace, the ability to go both ways, and offers more out of possession than Leão, so the selection makes sense, another quick player to offset Ronaldo’s lack of speed.
DRC, meanwhile, move to a five at the back. I'm a little surprised Noah Sadiki has left out, but the three picked ahead of him have earned their spots.
Taking a closer look at the Portugal team, Dias is absent injured, but it’s perhaps a little surprising to see Gonçalo Inácio, whose passing has been so important, left out. Otherwise, the XI is pretty much as expected – the only choice Martínez had to make was who to pick in the left-wing berth, and he’s gone for Pedro Neto, not João Félix or Rafael Leão.
Teams!
Portugal (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Araújo, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Bernardo Silva, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo. Subs: Semedo, Dalot, Rui Silva, Conceição, João Félix, Guedes, Inácio, Trincão, Sá, Ramos, Nunes, Leão, Neves, Samú Costa, Dias.
Congo DR (5-3-2): Mpasi; Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapaudi, Masuaku; Moutoussamy, Mukau, Kayembe; Bakambu, Wissa. Subs: Banza, Batubinsika, Bongoda, Elia, Epolo, Fayulu, Kakuta, Mayele, Kalulu, Kayembe, Cipenga, Mbuku, Pickel, Sadiki, Tshibola.
Referee: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim (Qatar)
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Preamble
Rui Patricio; Cédric, Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro; Carvalho; Sanches, Silva, João Mário; Nani, Ronaldo: names branded on to the soul of all Portuguese football fans. And yet the team which won the 2016 Euros, a first international title after a long wait and much pain, is so inferior to the one that’s since failed even to get close, it’s almost silly.
Football, though, is an art not a science, the job of balancing a team needing feel as much as calculation – feel which eluded Fernando Santos and, so far, has eluded Roberto Martínez too.
Previously, it’s been easy to blame Cristiano Ronaldo, his inability to press making it almost impossible to play a modern style and by whose mere presence everyone connected with team seems awed. Now, though, the tactical meta has changed a little – the best teams often sit off – and the players behind him are so good, their standing in the game so high, they really should be able to carry the physical slack while facilitating finishing that remains excellent. Their time is now – but also, their time was in 2020, 2022 and 2024 – with no guarantee that Bruno Fernandes, Berrnardo Silva, Rúben Dias and João Cancelo will sustain their current levels until 2028. That’s a lot of pressure for a group who’ve not worn it well.
Nor will DRC make things easy. Previously renowned for chaotic attacking, under Sébastien Desabre they’ve morphed into a doughty defensive outfit, one that is hard to penetrate but struggles to penetrate. They had to fight to qualify, needing a playoff and extra time, but now they’re here, participating in their first World Cup since 1974, they won’t be easy to shake. And, as Spain discovered, any team that is disciplined and organised can be hard to break down, the pedigree of the DRC back four – it features Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba and Arthur Masuaku – of far greater pedigree that Cape Verde’s.
Of course, the likeliest outcome is a comfortable Portugal win but, as the game – and real life – never tire of reminding us, they don’t care for what should happen, only for what does happen. The line between immortality and ignominy is thin.
Kick-off: 12pm local, 1pm EDT, 6pm BST, 3am AEST
