Portugal were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by minnows DR Congo in their first World Cup group game, with a Yoane Wissa effort cancelling out Joao Neves’ opener. Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure up front, while Bernardo Silva also had an afternoon to forget as Roberto Martinez’s side failed to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Portugal took the lead after just six minutes, with Pedro Neto producing an inch perfect cross to find the run of Neves, who then directed a brilliant header into the far corner for only his fourth international goal. DR Congo were stunned, but instead of going for the jugular, Portugal then seemed to drop their intensity levels and treat the contest like a training game, passing the ball around aimlessly for long periods.
They only created a couple of half-chances, while DR Congo showed some promise on the counter, with Wissa doing his best to unsettle the Portugal defence. Wissa and DR Congo eventually got the reward their endeavour deserved in first-half stoppage time, as the Newcastle man ghosted in unmarked to glance home a teasing Arthur Masuaku cross.
Portugal thought they’d retaken the lead early in the second half, only for an acrobatic strike from Joao Cancelo to be correctly ruled out for offside. Cedric Bakambu then went down the other end and hit the post for DR Congo after outmuscling Bruno Fernandes in another concerning moment for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Substitute Francisco Conceicao ended up being Portugal’s brightest spark, and managed to bypass the DR Congo defence to the by-line and feed Ronaldo on a couple of occasions, only for the 41-year-old striker to fluff his lines. Portugal huffed and puffed through to the final whistle, but couldn’t find the second goal as DR Congo secured a point in their first World Cup game since 1974.
GOAL rates all Portugal’s players from Houston…
