Ronaldo Misses Late Chances as Portugal Fifa Ranking Draw Ends 1-1
Portugal fifa ranking pressure tightened after Portugal drew 1-1 with Democratic Republic of the Congo in its opening World Cup match on Wednesday. João Neves scored in the sixth minute, but Yoane Wissa’s stoppage-time equalizer sent the match level before Cristiano Ronaldo’s late misses left Portugal without a winner.
Neves Puts Portugal Ahead
Neves struck first and gave Portugal a lead that lasted until the end of the first half. The midfielder finished in the sixth minute, and Portugal then spent the rest of the match trying to protect a result that should have been more comfortable once João Cancelo briefly thought he had added another.
Cancelo’s bicycle kick in the 55th minute was ruled offside, and that left Portugal stuck on one goal while the clock kept moving toward the finish. Bruno Fernandes later sent a shot wide right in the 90th minute, another sign that Portugal’s final ball never quite matched its early start.
Wissa Gives Congo History
Yoane Wissa changed the match at the end of the first half. His stoppage-time equalizer was Congo’s first World Cup goal in the country’s history, and it arrived against a Portugal team that had controlled the early scoreline but not the final margin.
Democratic Republic of the Congo was playing at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, and this was only the nation’s second appearance. The last one came in 1974, when the team was known as Zaire. Before Wissa’s finish, Cédric Bakambu had already gone close by hitting the near post.
Ronaldo’s Record Night
Ronaldo’s presence carried its own weight. At 41, he became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, and the appearance also put him alongside Lionel Messi as one of only two players to appear in six World Cups.
The Portugal captain had two late openings to settle the game. He missed wide right in the 68th minute and again in the 73rd, the best chances after the break in a match played before 68,777 spectators at NRG Stadium, where the crowd was mostly filled with Portugal supporters.
That left Portugal with a draw that felt unfinished and Congo with a landmark point built on the first World Cup goal in its history. For Portugal, the opener produced early control but no closing punch; for Congo, it produced history in a setting that looked stacked against it.
