Ronaldo frustrated as Portugal held by DR Congo in World Cup draw

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s Group K opener frustrated in Houston as the 41-year-old failed to turn a fast start into a victory, and DR Congo walked away with a result that made history. Portugal led through João Neves in the sixth minute at NRG Stadium, but Yoane Wissa equalised in first-half stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw and deliver DR Congo its first-ever World Cup goal and first-ever World Cup point.

The result landed harder because of the backdrop around Ronaldo. He was making a record sixth men’s World Cup appearance and was expected to be the focal point of Roberto Martínez’s side, yet he missed two second-half chances and remained on the pitch while several of Portugal’s creative players were withdrawn. After Neves’s early header, Portugal were limited to just six shot attempts, a statistical reflection of how the match drifted away from the control Martínez would have wanted.

That tension is now pressing on Portugal’s campaign. Ronaldo’s status still shapes the team’s identity, but the draw revived familiar questions about whether loyalty to a generational star is beginning to collide with the demands of the current squad. Portugal have enough attacking talent around him to expect more, with Bruno Fernandes among the names whose service and influence should have tilted a game they had started so well. Instead, Ronaldo’s missed openings became the defining images of a night that exposed the gap between legacy and output.

The debate sharpened because it came immediately after Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé had starred the previous day, raising the bar for football’s biggest names at this tournament. Against that standard, Ronaldo’s struggle stood out not just as one poor outing, but as part of a wider question facing ageing superstars: when does iconic status stop matching on-field value?

For DR Congo, the point carried a different meaning entirely. Returning to the finals for the first time in 52 years, the team held firm after falling behind early and found a landmark equaliser just before the break. The emotion around Portugal’s opener was also heightened by the presence of Diogo Jota’s parents in a luxury suite, adding a sombre note to a match that began with expectation and ended in scrutiny.