Ronaldo's last dance starts with a stumble as DR Congo hold Portugal
A stoppage-time equaliser from Yoane Wissa earned the debutants a famous point, leaving Portugal frustrated and Cristiano Ronaldo without a goal on the opening night of his final World Cup.
It was supposed to be the gentle opening to a grand farewell. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup campaign began with a jolt: Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their Group K opener, a returning side snatching a deserved point through a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser at NRG Stadium.
Portugal could hardly have started better. Joao Neves rose to head home an outswinging Pedro Neto cross in the sixth minute, and for long stretches the favourites looked in control without ever delivering the killer second goal. That failure to put the game to bed proved costly. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Yoane Wissa arrived unmarked at the back post and finished decisively past Diogo Costa, and Congo, back at a World Cup after decades away, had their foothold.
A quiet night for the icon
For all the pre-tournament focus on Ronaldo, this was not his night. The 41-year-old, who became the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup match, had moments and half-chances, stretching to reach crosses and prowling the box as he always has, but the finish would not come. On the opening evening of what is almost certainly his last World Cup, the headline belonged to others, and the scoreline belonged to the underdogs.
That is the unforgiving nature of tournament football, and it is exactly the tension that hangs over Portugal's campaign. This is a deep, talented squad more than capable of winning the whole thing, but a draw with a debutant in the first game immediately tightens the margins. The romantic farewell narrative is still alive, but it has been reminded, on night one, how easily it can slip.
Congo's reward, Portugal's warning
For DR Congo, this was the kind of result that justifies a long-awaited return. They defended with discipline, took their chance when it came, and held on for a point that will mean far more to them than the loss of two does to Portugal. It is another entry in a tournament that has repeatedly seen the heavyweights stumble against opponents who simply refuse to be overawed.
Portugal, meanwhile, have work to do and questions to answer. The quality is there, the route remains open, and one dropped point in the group stage need not define anything. But the perfect script has already been rewritten, and Ronaldo's pursuit of the one prize that has eluded him just got a little more complicated. The last dance is on, but it will not be the procession some imagined.