⚽ FIFA World Cup 2026 · Group K
Portugal
POR
Full time
1-1
DR Congo
COD
2026-06-17 · Houston Stadium, Houston
The verdict“DR Congo's first ever World Cup point landed on the perfect target, a 41 year old Ronaldo who could not find the net to save his life.”
The Performance Review
Portugal started fast, João Neves poking them ahead inside six minutes, and for a while it looked routine. Then DR Congo, back at a World Cup for the first time since 1974, decided history was theirs to make. Yoane Wissa struck in first half stoppage time for the nation's first ever World Cup goal and first ever World Cup point, then held on through a second half of Portuguese pressure that never quite broke through.
The headline, of course, is Cristiano Ronaldo. At 41 he became the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup match, which is genuinely remarkable, and then he spent the night missing two big chances and extending his goalless run in major tournaments to ten games. The body is still there. The finishing has gone to voicemail. Roberto Martinez's side looked frustrated and flat, and DR Congo earned every drop of their celebration.
Who Got Burned
Cristiano Ronaldo, who set a record just by turning up and then reminded everyone why the goals have dried up, ten major tournament games and counting without scoring. And Portugal as a whole, a squad far too talented to be held by World Cup debutants making up for fifty two years away.
The Bright Side
For DR Congo this is enormous, a first World Cup goal and point on their return after more than half a century, and they earned it with discipline and nerve. Portugal, for all the frustration, still have the squad to turn this into a footnote rather than a crisis.
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