Portugal entered Wednesday’s World Cup opener as one of the tournament favorites.
They left looking anything but champions.
DR Congo battled Portugal to a stunning 1-1 draw in Houston, earning a deserved point and exposing plenty of questions for Roberto Martinez’s side. Portugal grabbed an early lead through Joao Neves, but the heavily favored Europeans failed to put the match away and watched DR Congo equalize before halftime. Despite dominating possession and creating chances, Portugal never found a winner.
Credit belongs to DR Congo.
The Leopards defended with discipline, played fearlessly and looked like they belonged on the World Cup stage. For a nation making its first World Cup appearance since 1974, this was a statement performance against one of the sport’s biggest names.
As for Portugal?
This is a match they had to win.
No disrespect to DR Congo, but World Cup contenders don’t spend months talking about lifting trophies only to open the tournament by dropping points against a team making its first appearance in more than 50 years. Portugal came into the match as overwhelming favorites and failed to deliver.
And yes, the conversation has to include Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese legend will always be one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. His legacy is secure. Nothing that happens in 2026 changes that.
But Father Time remains undefeated.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo is no longer the player who could single-handedly drag Portugal across the finish line. The aura is still there. The name is still there. The highlights are still on YouTube. But the version of Ronaldo that terrorized defenses for two decades is gone.
Portugal has too much talent to be settling for draws in matches like this.
Meanwhile, DR Congo walks away as one of the biggest winners of the opening round. The underdogs earned their point, made history and proved they won’t be intimidated by anybody in Group K.
Portugal may still advance.
But after Wednesday’s performance, the road looks a lot tougher than expected.
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