Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 18, 2026 07:06 AM IST
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal endured a forgettable night in their Group K opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston as DR Congo held the UEFA Nations League holders to a 1-1 draw in Houston.
The Portugal captain was a pale shadow of his former self, with no authority up front throughout the match, where he barely managed to score. Ronaldo’s threats meant he managed just three attempts in 90 minutes, with each of his three strikes flying wide of the target. After the match, the 41-year-old faced a lot of scrutiny from pundits and former footballers. However, Portugal’s poor start was saved by Ronaldo shortly after the end of the game.
“Nothing was lacking. That’s football. Portugal could have won, but they could have lost,” Ronaldo told Sport TV Portugal after the game.
Also read | Cristiano Ronaldo is parodying the once great player
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner went 10 consecutive matches without scoring in major tournaments, including the previous World Cup in 2022 and the European Championship in 2024, the longest drought of his career.
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Cristiano:
“Nothing was lost, that’s football. Portugal could have won but lost, it could have gone either way.” pic.twitter.com/iIU0BfYPUA
— CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) 17 June 2026
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Mid-fielder Joao Neves’ header put Portugal ahead in the sixth minute, but their dominant first-half display was interrupted by Yone Visa’s equalizer seconds before half-time.
His clearest chance of the afternoon only came in the 67th minute, when Franco Conceicao broke into the Congolese box and delivered a back pass. Crossing his teammate Bruno Fernandes behind him, Ronaldo fired the ball past the right post after a minor adjustment.
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He had another chance, six minutes later, to hit the post again from Conceicao’s cutback. Ronaldo completed just 20 passes in 90 minutes, thirteenth best in the game; His defensive contribution was just one.
After a poor start, Portugal next face Uzbekistan at the same venue on Tuesday and Colombia’s final group game on June 28 in Miami.