Houston: In their opening World Cup match on Wednesday, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were unexpectedly held to a 1-1 draw by Congo.
After Cape Verde's 0-0 stalemate with Spain on Monday, Congo, participating in the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, became the second African nation to make a strong start against European opposition.
“The World Cup is a tournament where this happens,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martínez, the Spaniard who guided Belgium to the semi-finals at the 2018 tournament. “At times the performance is not up to the challenge.”
Playing in front of a crowd of 68,777 spectators at NRG Stadium, which was largely filled with Portugal supporters, Congo earned its first-ever World Cup point after losing all three of its previous matches.
Many Congolese supporters were unable to travel to the United States for this year's tournament because of restrictions linked to Ebola.
“There was not enough blue in the stands, but the players are tough and they know how to overcome challenges,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “But I'm sure that many Congolese people are proud of their team today.”
João Neves gave Portugal an early lead in the sixth minute. The 5ft 7in midfielder headed home a cross from Pedro Neto.
However, Yoane Wissa equalised for Congo in first-half stoppage time with a header from Arthur Masuaku's cross, delighting the small pockets of blue-clad supporters. It was Congo's first-ever World Cup goal.
“It's crazy,” Wissa said. “Fifty-two years later we are here, we are back. It's been long, it's been difficult. So scoring that goal means a lot for all Congolese people, for me, for my family and for the fans who showed up today.”
Congo's only previous World Cup appearance came at the 1974 tournament in West Germany, when the team was known as Zaire and lost 2-0 to Scotland, 9-0 to Yugoslavia and 3-0 to Brazil.
“The goal changed things,” Martínez said. “We almost felt the fear of not losing the game.”
For Portugal, it was the lack of goals that stood out. Ronaldo missed chances wide to the right in the 68th and 73rd minutes and shook his head in frustration after both attempts.
Martínez was asked whether he considered substituting Ronaldo on Wednesday.
“It makes no sense to take off the world's leading goalscorer when you need goals,” the coach said. “Cristiano's experience in the box is important. The way he attracts defenders is important.”
Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, breaking the record set four years ago by Canada midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. Cameroon great Roger Milla remains the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup match, having come on as a substitute at the age of 42 during the 1994 World Cup.
Ronaldo also joined Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the only players to appear in six World Cups. He can move ahead of Messi, who scored a hat-trick on Tuesday, by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments if he finds the net later in this competition.
After Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland all scored in their opening matches, the 41-year-old Ronaldo was unable to get on the scoresheet in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo.
With players such as Vinícius Júnior, Christian Pulisic, Viktor Gyökeres and Harry Kane also scoring early in this year's World Cup, Ronaldo's goalless outing stood out even more.
Aside from Ronaldo's efforts, Bruno Fernandes had a chance to put Portugal ahead in the 90th minute, but his shot also went wide to the right.
Portugal appeared to have taken the lead in the 55th minute through a bicycle kick from João Cancelo, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Shortly afterwards, Cédric Bakambu came close to putting Congo ahead, but his effort struck the near post.
The parents of Diogo Jota, a member of the Portugal squad who died alongside his brother in a car crash last summer, attended the match from a luxury suite.