DR Congo Makes Historic World Cup Return with Draw Against Portugal
HOUSTON – On a humid afternoon that was supposed to showcase Portugal’s power and Cristiano Ronaldo’s longevity, the story belonged to a nation coming back from 52 years in the World Cup wilderness.
Democratic Republic of Congo, back on this stage for the first time since 1974, absorbed almost everything a sluggish Portugal had to offer and walked away with a 1-1 draw that felt like a victory. For them, it was much more than that: their first-ever World Cup goal, their first World Cup point, and a statement that they have not travelled just to make up the numbers.
Portugal start fast, then fade
For six minutes, it looked like the script would run exactly as billed.
Portugal, one of the tournament favourites, sliced through with a move of real clarity. Pedro Neto found space on the flank and whipped in a precise cross. Joao Neves, timing his run perfectly, rose to meet it and buried his header from around 15 metres. One chance, one shot on target, one goal. The perfect start.
It would also be their last effort on target.
What followed was not a siege, not a show of ruthless European authority, but a strange, sterile dominance. Roberto Martinez’s side had the ball, and kept it, and passed it, but rarely in places that hurt. The tempo dropped. The urgency bled away. For long stretches, it looked more like a training exercise than a World Cup group game.
Martinez did not hide from the psychological weight hanging over his squad.
“We didn’t create enough chances and probably we lost that intention of scoring the second goal,” he admitted. He spoke of the “weight on the shoulders” of players dreaming of lifting the trophy, and of the need to “win against Congo first” before talking about anything grander. On this evidence, the message has not fully landed.
Wissa writes history for DR Congo
DR Congo, backed by a noisy contingent and watched in person by President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, grew bolder with every Portuguese sideways pass.
They sat deep early, then started to bite in midfield. They chased, harried, waited for gaps. Just as Portugal seemed content to drift into half-time with a narrow lead, the African side struck.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Arthur Masuaku swung in a dangerous cross from the left. Portugal’s defensive line froze, and Yoane Wissa – unmarked, almost disbelievingly free – attacked the ball and powered his header in. History in an instant. DR Congo’s first World Cup goal, half a century in the making.
The reaction on the pitch and in the stands said everything. For Portugal, stunned silence and hands on hips. For DR Congo, an explosion of joy that belonged to generations.
“It is a step forward for us to have scored this first goal and to have this first point for our country during this World Cup,” coach Sebastien Desabre said. “We gave everything we had against the team of Portugal. We are delighted.” It was not coach-speak. It was a verdict on a night his players will never forget.
Ronaldo’s record day, and a muted one
There was another layer to the occasion. Portugal played with emotion close to the surface, in front of the parents of former teammate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash with his brother in 2025. It added a sombre undertone to a game that never quite found its rhythm.
At the centre of it all, as ever, stood Cristiano Ronaldo. At 41, he became the oldest player to start a World Cup match, adding another record to a career already swollen with them. He is chasing one of the last prizes missing from his collection, appearing at a sixth World Cup – a mark he now shares with Lionel Messi.
Yet the stage did not bend to him this time.
Ronaldo stayed on as Martinez reshuffled around him, the coach withdrawing Bernardo Silva at half-time but keeping faith that his all-time leading scorer might still conjure something. The service never really came. DR Congo’s defenders tracked him, crowded him, and denied him the pockets of space he thrives in.
He did get chances. Two of them, both close-range efforts, both dragged wide. On another day, in another tournament, they might have nestled in the corner and the narrative would be about the old master bending time again. Here, they were just more signs of a flat Portuguese performance.
DR Congo threaten the upset
If anyone looked like stealing the game late, it was not Ronaldo.
Cedric Bakambu almost completed the shock in the second half, rattling the post with a low strike that had Portugal’s defence scrambling and their fans holding their breath. It was the kind of moment that reminded everyone in the stadium: this was no ceremonial outing for the African returnees.
Portugal responded with more possession, more probing, but not much more incision. The pattern rarely changed: neat triangles in midfield, recycled passes, DR Congo shifting across in disciplined blocks, refusing to be dragged out of shape.
The pressure never quite became a storm. It was controlled, predictable, and ultimately manageable for Desabre’s side.
Questions for Portugal, belief for DR Congo
Portugal leave Houston with a point, a warning, and a schedule that offers no comfort. Uzbekistan and Colombia await in Group K, and the margin for error is already shrinking for a squad loaded with talent and expectation.
They know the history. A quarter-final exit to Morocco in 2022. A best-ever finish of third, way back in 1966. For all the talk of a golden generation and a legendary captain, the World Cup has remained stubbornly out of reach.
DR Congo, by contrast, walk away with momentum and something even more valuable: belief. A first goal, a first point, a reminder to the rest of the group that they are not here to be a footnote.
Ronaldo’s chase for the one trophy that has eluded him goes on, but the opening act of this World Cup belonged to a team that waited 52 years just to sing its own song again. The question now is whether Portugal can find theirs before the tournament moves on without them.
