Portugal stars react to draw with DR Congo in the World Cup

The main stars of the Portuguese National Team, including top scorer João Neves, held a press conference this Wednesday (17) after the 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo, in their debut at the 2026 World Cup. The frustrating result marked the team's first game in the tournament.

Scorer of the only Portuguese goal in the match, João Neves celebrated his first ball in the net in the World Cup, but expressed frustration with the final score. "Very happy, my first World Cup and first game in the competition. But for me the most important thing is the team's performance and the way we played. I'm crestfallen with the result, but we did a good job", declared the midfielder.

The young player highlighted the need for improvements. "There are things to improve as always. We started well, with intensity and pace of play. We will improve and analyze the game in more detail. Now it's time to keep our heads up", added Neves about the performance in Houston, in the United States.

Cancelo and Leão evaluate performance
João Cancelo, the team's full-back, was more critical and stated that the team could have performed better at the NRG Stadium, in Houston. "We had a lot of possession, but we didn't create clear scoring opportunities. We lacked strength in the final third. We should have played a better game and we rushed in at times", he assessed.

The Portuguese defender compared the feeling after the final whistle. "Obviously we left as if the draw was a defeat and they were a victory", added Cancelo, highlighting the feeling of dissatisfaction.

Rafael Leão, who came on in the second half, commented on the frustration and praised the opponent's defensive posture. "Seen from the outside in the first half, we controlled the game well in the first minutes, but we opened up the game more afterwards. They scored the equalizer," he said.

Leão recognized Congolese solidity. "In the second half, I think we managed to control the game again and impose ourselves. But DR Congo defended well at the back, very solidly", concluded the striker about the match.

Portugal's next challenges
The Portuguese team's next commitment in the World Cup will be against Uzbekistan, on Tuesday (23), at 2pm (Brasília time). The match will take place at the same venue as the debut, NRG Stadium, in Houston, United States.

Afterwards, the current Nations League champions end their participation in the group stage against Colombia, on Saturday (27), at 8:30 pm (Brasília time). This clash is scheduled for the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami, also in the United States.

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Source: CNN