‘Portugal lacked nothing’: Ronaldo defends World Cup 1-1 draw opener with Congo
FIFA World Cup 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo's perils had seen him take only three attempts at goal all through the 90 minutes, with each of the three strikes flying wide off the target
Cristiano Ronaldo defended his and Portugal's poor World Cup 2026 start with a 1-1 draw to DR Congo. (AP Photo)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal endured a forgettable night during their Group K opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston with underdogs DR Congo holding the UEFA Nations League holders to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Houston.
The Portugal captain was a pale shadow of himself, holding no authority out front throughout the match where he barely had a sniff of the goal. Ronaldo’s perils had seen him take only three attempts at goal all through the 90 minutes, with each of the three strikes flying wide off the target. Post match, the 41-year-old copped much of the scrutiny from pundits and former footballers. However, Ronaldo defended Portugal’s patchy start shortly after the game.
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“Nothing was lacking. That’s football. Portugal could have won, but they could also have lost,” Ronaldo told Sport TV Portugal in a brief exchange after the game.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had gone 10 consecutive matches in major tournaments including the previous World Cup in 2022 and the 2024 European Championships without scoring, the longest such drought of his career.
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CRISTIANO:
“Nothing was missing, football is like this. Portugal could have won but it could also have lost, it could have gone either way.” pic.twitter.com/iIU0BfYPUA
In a match where a sixth-minute header from mid-fielder Joao Neves put Portugal out front, their heavy possession play in the first half was stubbed by an equaliser from Yoane Wissa seconds before half-time.
His clearest chance of the afternoon appeared only in the 67th minute, when Franceso Conceicao stormed into the Congo box and fed a back pass. Cutting across his teammate Bruno Fernandes behind him, Ronaldo shot the ball after a minor adjustment past the right post.
He received another chance, six minutes later, again from a cutback from Conceicao only to shank it past the post yet again. Ronaldo made only 20 passes in 90 minutes, the thirteenth best in the game; his defensive contribution was only one.
After the rough start, Portugal will next take on Uzbekistan on Tuesday at the same venue before facing Colombia in their last group game on June 28 in Miami.
Cristiano Ronaldo defended his and Portugal's poor World Cup 2026 start with a 1-1 draw to DR Congo. (AP Photo) 
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