Cristiano Ronaldo was meant to respond to Lionel Messi's hat-trick. Instead, he found himself upstaged by a striker who cost less than he earns in six months in Saudi Arabia — and the Portugal captain left the field in Houston without making history.
A day after Messi moved level with Miroslav Klose as the joint-leading World Cup scorer, and Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland each scored twice, the stage was set for Ronaldo to become the first man to score in six different World Cups. But Portugal laboured to a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, and the 41-year-old could not force a breakthrough.
“Cristiano Ronaldo fails to score as Portugal are held 1-1 by DR Congo in World Cup 2026 opener.”
Joao Neves gave Portugal a sixth-minute lead, rising to meet Pedro Neto's cross and guide a header past Lionel Mpasi. But Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa — who managed just one goal all last season — nodded in a deserved equaliser before half-time, scoring DR Congo's first ever World Cup goal and securing the Leopards' first World Cup point.
Portugal dominated possession with 75% but managed only seven attempts at goal, just one on target. Ronaldo had two second-half chances but missed both. His most significant contribution in the first half was remonstrating with the referee for booking Bernardo Silva.
Ex-England striker Chris Sutton, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, was scathing about Portugal boss Roberto Martinez's decision to keep Ronaldo on for the full match. As Goncalo Ramos replaced midfielder Vitinha in the 83rd minute, Sutton said: "That's embarrassing from Martinez. It might work but are we all watching a different game? He's scared to take him off. He's not the manager. [Ronaldo] may end up scoring the winner but the game has passed him by today."
Before kick-off, Wayne Rooney had joked that his former Manchester United teammate would be "raging - but in a good way" at the other stars' exploits. "That's how he's pushed himself," Rooney told BBC One. "He wants to be the best and that's not in a bad way. He'll want to go out there and score two or three tonight to show he's still at that level."
Ronaldo, who has 229 caps and 143 goals for Portugal, and plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, is closing in on 1,000 career goals for club and country. But after this display, the questions over whether he remains a spent force will only grow louder.