3 min readJun 18, 2026 06:40 AM IST
First published on: Jun 18, 2026 at 06:40 AM IST
Cristiano Ronaldo has earned critique for the way he played in Portugal’s first game of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Ronaldo endured a lacklustre day in the park at the Houston Stadium as the game against Congo ended in a 1-1 draw with Joao Neves’s 6th minute goal getting cancelled out by Yoane Wisse’s strike in the first half. Ronaldo, as the tip of the spear for Portugal’s attack, could not do much, despite playing for most of the game.
In fact, there was a point (in the 68th minute) when Francisco Conceicao cut back to Ronaldo, and the forward hit his shot wide off the near post. The moment was criticised for Ronaldo taking a shot when behind him Bruno Fernandes was in a better position to score.
French football legend Thierry Henry has explained why Portugal have a Ronaldo-sized problem, even though the former Arsenal striker avoided directly criticising Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers in history.
“One thing that’s important, people, please at home, the team needs to score. (It’s) Not you (that) needs to score. Because Ronaldo wants to score, he goes in the path of the back pass, you see both players and it’s easier for you to defend. If he had gone to the six-yard box, Bruno Fernandes would have a tap in. And that’s my thing: The team needs to score. Not you,” Henry said while on broadcast for Fox Sports where he was accompanied by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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Henry explained that when Conceicao was running in with the ball on the right flank, Ronaldo should have run behind the three-man defence rather than running towards Conceicao and the ball. If Ronaldo had run behind the defence, Henry contended, he would have dragged the defenders with him and created more space for his teammates.
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That shot in the 68th minute was one of the two shots Ronaldo could muster in the game. He also tried another shot in the 73rd minute, but it went wide right. Ronaldo looked displeased after both of them.
Ronaldo didn’t speak to reporters after the game but he posted about the match on X.
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“It wasn’t the start we wanted, but this is far from over,” he wrote. “Head up and focus on the next game.”
(With inputs from AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Congo in Houston, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) 
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