Cristiano doesn't shine, and Portugal draws with DR Congo in their World Cup debut
Portugal ficou no empate por 1 a 1 com a República Democrática do Congo nesta quarta-feira (17), no NRG Stadium, em Houston, no Texas, pela estreia do Grupo K da Copa do Mundo de 2026.
João Neves opened the scoring five minutes into the first half. A RD Congo respondeu nos acréscimos da etapa inicial: Wissa subiu livre na pequena área e empatou. In the second half, Portugal pressed, had a goal disallowed and Cristiano Ronaldo wasted clear chances. The draw held.
First half of goals
Portugal started by controlling the actions. A RD Congo se postou em um 5-3-2 compacto, com todos os jogadores atrás da linha da bola, apostando na velocidade de Wissa e Bakambu para sair em contra-ataque.
After five minutes, Pedro Neto found a good cross for João Neves to infiltrate. The PSG midfielder went up alone and headed the ball into the back of the net. It was Portugal's first goal in World Cups in the Roberto Martínez era.
After the goal, DR Congo came out a little more into the game and Portugal retreated. The team started exchanging passes in search of spaces in the well-placed lines of the Africans, but without being able to create clear chances.
The lack of Portuguese creativity, however, was punished. DR Congo took a short corner, worked the ball on the side of the area and Masuaku crossed for Wissa to go completely free in the small area. The Brentwood striker headed the ball past Diogo Costa. It was DR Congo's first goal in the entire history of World Cups.
CR7 perde chances na segunda etapa
No segundo tempo, Portugal voltou com Francisco Conceição no lugar de Bernardo Silva e tentou pressionar. But he continued to find it difficult to break through the Congolese defensive block.
Nine minutes into the final stage, Portugal found the net. Bruno Fernandes crossed, João Neves cleared his chest and João Cancelo scored a beautiful volley. The referee, however, ruled Cancelo offside at the time of the adjustment.
Cristiano Ronaldo had two clear chances and wasted both. In the 22nd minute, Francisco Conceição went deep on the right and crossed for the number 7, who kicked the ground and sent the ball out. At 28, the play was repeated almost in the same place, and Ronaldo finished poorly again.
DR Congo was also scary. In the 11th minute of the second half, Bakambu received the ball almost in the small area, spun around and hit Diogo Costa's post. The referee had already called a foul before, but the scare remained. At 31, the same Bakambu received a free kick at the edge of the area on a counterattack and finished over the goal.
In the final minutes, the game was open. Portugal tried to press, DR Congo started to counterattack more and the duel became unpredictable. The draw, however, held.
Homenagem a Jota
O jogo teve um peso que vai além do resultado. Foi a estreia de Portugal na Copa do Mundo desde a morte de Diogo Jota, atacante que morreria em um acidente de carro no ano passado ao lado do irmão André Silva. Jota would be one of the team's starters at this World Cup.
The players entered the field wearing bracelets with Jota's name, a gift from Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Coach Roberto Martínez even named the striker as an honorary member of the group when he announced the call-up.
"A gente sente isso e quer ganhar, não só porque é uma Copa do Mundo e é o sonho de todo mundo, mas por ele também", disse o meia Vitinha antes da partida.
DR Congo back after 52 years
The Democratic Republic of Congo returned to the World Cup after 52 years. A última participação havia sido em 1974, quando o país se chamava Zaire, em um contexto completamente diferente - antes de um jogo contra o Brasil naquele Mundial, jogadores da seleção foram ameaçados de morte pelo ditador que governava o país.
The classification for 2026 came due to defensive consistency and mental strength. The team, coached by a French coach, eliminated Cameroon and Nigeria in the African qualifiers and needed extra time to beat Jamaica in the intercontinental play-off. Defender Axel Tuanzebe, trained in Manchester United's youth teams, scored the qualifying goal in extra time.
With the result, Portugal and DR Congo added a point from their debut and shared the provisional leadership of the group. Later today, Uzbekistan and Colombia debut in the 2026 World Cup, at 11pm (Brasília time), at the Mexico City Stadium, also in the first round of Group K.
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Source: CNN