Portugal did not start the 2026 World Cup well. 😤 On June 17 at NRG Stadium in Houston, the Portuguese national team could only draw 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in their Group K opener, and the name at the center of all the criticism was the usual one: Cristiano Ronaldo.
CR7, 41 years old and in his SIXTH World Cup as captain, had a night to forget. He missed at least two clear scoring chances, and his gesture after conceding the equalizer — a header by Yoane Wissa in the 45+5th minute, DR Congo’s FIRST historic goal in a World Cup — did not go unnoticed by anyone.
Cristiano looked at goalkeeper Diogo Costa, raised his arms, and made it clear that the keeper should have come off his line to claim the ball. In the end, he stayed on the line and did not have time to parry that point-blank effort in the six-yard box.