By Michael KahnThursday June 18, 2026
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group K – Portugal v DR Congo Purchase Licensing Rights
Portugal were made to settle for frustration on Wednesday as Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates were held to a 1-1 draw by Democratic Republic of Congo, who marked their return to the World Cup stage after 52 years with a hard-earned point.
The match appeared to be following the script of one of the tournament favorites from the opening whistle. Portugal struck inside six minutes, when Pedro Neto sent in a cross for Joao Neves, who rose to nod in from 15 metres.
It was the ideal start for Portugal, though it would also prove to be their only shot on target in the match.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said his team felt the weight of expectation and failed to produce enough chances, while also allowing the game to drift into areas where DR Congo could regroup.
“We didn’t create enough chances and probably we lost that intention of scoring the second goal,” Martinez said.
“But I think it’s more the mentality of getting rid of the weight on the shoulders of the players or wanting to win the World Cup because the process is trying to win against Congo first.”
With 41-year-old Ronaldo, who is aiming to score in a sixth World Cup, leading the line, Portugal controlled possession for long stretches. DR Congo, meanwhile, stayed compact, absorbed pressure and looked for openings on the break in the Group K contest.
The African side, backed in the stadium by President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, gradually found their footing and were rewarded in first-half stoppage time when Yoane Wissa was left unmarked to head in Arthur Masuaku’s cross for DR Congo’s first goal at a World Cup.
“It is a step forward for us to have scored this first goal and to have this first point for our country during this World Cup,” DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said. “We gave everything we had against the team of Portugal. We are delighted.”
MORE LIKE A TRAINING SESSION
Portugal, who were playing in front of the parents of former teammate Diogo Jota after he was killed in a car crash with his brother in 2025, came out for the second half with greater urgency. The opening 45 minutes had been unusually flat, at times resembling little more than a training exercise as Portugal’s gifted midfield passed the ball around without finding a breakthrough.
DR Congo nearly turned the match on its head when Cedric Bakambu struck the post in the second half. Ronaldo then had two chances of his own but fired wide from close range as he made his sixth World Cup appearance, matching Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the record.
Martinez replaced midfielder Bernardo Silva at halftime but kept Ronaldo on the pitch, hoping the national team’s all-time leading scorer might produce a decisive moment in a match that never fully came alive.
Instead, Ronaldo was largely anonymous. The oldest player ever to start a World Cup match saw little of the ball and was routinely crowded out by defenders who denied him space inside the penalty area.
Portugal will now need to sharpen their play against Uzbekistan and Colombia if they are to give Ronaldo a chance to capture one of the major honors that has so far eluded him.
They were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, another African opponent, while their best finish remains third place in 1966.
Debutants Uzbekistan face Colombia in the second Group K match later on Wednesday in Mexico City.
Reporting by Michael Kahn, Additional reporting by Martin Petty, Editing by Ken Ferris
