Portugal Draws with DR Congo
IIE DIGITAL DESK ; June 18: The World Cup football stage. Congo made their comeback memorable. In Houston, Texas, they held strong Portugal to a 1–1 draw. Returning to the World Cup after 52 years, they earned a valuable point in their very first match back against a European powerhouse.
The start of the match, Portugal dominated possession and attacking play and quickly got their reward. In the 6th minute, João Neves scored with a header to put his team ahead. Despite going behind early, DR Congo gradually found their way back into the match.
The crucial moment came in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time. From a corner, Wissa of Congo scored with a header. With that goal, DR Congo registered their first-ever World Cup goal in history. It also marked their first goal in a World Cup match against Portugal since 1974, bringing them level at 1–1.
The second half, Portugal pushed hard in search of a winning goal. However, despite creating several chances, they failed to score. In the 68th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo had his first clear opportunity of the match, but his shot from inside the box went off target. In the closing stages, Portugal continued to launch wave after wave of attacks, but DR Congo’s disciplined defense and the goalkeeper’s resilience repeatedly denied them. As a result, the match ended in a 1–1 draw after full time.
Ronaldo also created history on the day. He became only the second footballer after Lionel Messi to play in six World Cups. Since his World Cup debut in 2006, he has now featured in the tournaments of 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026—making the Portuguese superstar appear in six editions in total. However, in this record-breaking match, he failed to make an impact and remained largely subdued throughout the game.
Congo had appeared in the World Cup only once, in the 1974 edition. At that time, the country was known as Zaire. In that tournament, their overall record across three matches was 14–0.
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