Ronaldo's Drought Deepens as Portugal Struggle to Shine Against DR Congo

Portugal failed to begin their World Cup campaign with a victory, settling for a 1–1 stalemate against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name in the record books as the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup fixture, at the remarkable age of 41. Yet it was 21-year-old João Neves—who wasn't even born when Ronaldo made his international bow—who broke the deadlock with a superb header from Pedro Neto's delivery just six minutes in.

Calmed by their early lead, Roberto Martínez's side cruised through the opening half but struggled to manufacture clear opportunities and were made to pay when Yoane Wissa climbed to head home an equalizer right before the interval. Meanwhile, the man most of the Houston crowd had turned up to watch failed to register a single shot in the first 45 minutes.

Following the restart, Portugal pressed forward but made little progress, with an increasingly assured DR Congo happy to absorb pressure and hit on the counter.

Despite controlling possession, Portugal could not find a way through and left their Group K opener in frustration. DR Congo, on the other hand, will be thoroughly pleased with the result.

The One Thing We Can't Ignore

Following Lionel Messi's hat-trick masterclass against Algeria, expectations were sky-high for Ronaldo heading into this contest.

The five-time Ballon d'Or recipient broke the record as the oldest outfield player in World Cup history, but contributed little else of note.

Remarkably, Ronaldo has now gone 10 major tournament matches without finding the net, with his last goal coming via a penalty against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.

He still carries himself well on the pitch and the instincts of a natural goalscorer remain, but now well into his fifth decade, Ronaldo is a shadow of the forward he once was. Portugal's final xG of 0.64 speaks volumes. While the quality of service must be called into question, three off-target shots and just 25 touches is a disappointing return for one of football's all-time greats.

Not for the first time, he has become the elephant in Portugal's room; a habit the nation simply cannot shake.

Can Roberto Martínez afford to drop Ronaldo? And can he afford to keep him?

Portugal Player Ratings vs. DR Congo (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Diogo Costa—6.9: Had little chance of stopping Wissa's header. Was called into action only once throughout the match.

RB: João Cancelo—7.1: Didn't display the attacking intent and dynamism many had anticipated from the Barcelona full-back.

CB: Tomás Araujo—7.1: Struggled aerially, which allowed Wissa to pull level. Rúben Dias's commanding presence was sorely missed. He did, however, intercept a crucial pass in the second half that could have sent DR Congo clean through.

CB: Renato Veiga—6.8: The Villarreal centre-back was largely dependable defensively, winning three of his six ground duels.

LB: Nuno Mendes—6.4: Worked hard but was unable to provide his trademark creativity down Portugal's left side before being withdrawn at the second hydration break.

CM: João Neves—8.1: Outjumped defenders considerably taller than himself to nod home Portugal's opener inside the first six minutes.

CM: Vitinha—6.8: Replaced late on in search of greater attacking threat. Led all players with 134 touches on the ball.

RW: Bernardo Silva—5.7: Picked up a booking for a reckless early challenge. Hauled off at the break.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.0: Found it difficult to pull the creative strings in the way he does for Manchester United. Took a late long-range effort into his own hands, though it drifted wide.

LW: Pedro Neto—6.9: Delivered the perfect cross for the opener. Struggled to make an impact against Aaron Wan-Bissaka thereafter.

ST: Cristiano Ronaldo—6.7: The skipper had a quiet evening but was kept on for the full 90 minutes as Martínez held out hope for a moment of brilliance.

SUB: Francisco Conceição (45' for Bernardo Silva)—6.3: More involved and provided greater width than Silva, but was unable to conjure the decisive breakthrough.

SUB: Rafael Leão (71' for Pedro Neto)—6.1: The AC Milan winger may have benefitted from coming on earlier and barely made an impression on the left flank.

SUB: Nelson Semedo (71' for Nuno Mendes)—6.0: Pushed forward at every opportunity but repeatedly found his path blocked.

SUB: Gonçalo Ramos (83' for Vitinha)—N/A

Subs not used: José Sá (GK), Rui Silva (GK), Diogo Dalot, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Nunes, Nelson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Rúben Neves, Samú, Trincão, Gonçalo Guedes, , Joao Félix

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Portugal's Limp Display

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