The biggest names at the 2026 World Cup have all responded in their first match except for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Portugal had a disappointing debut in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo.
Ronaldo did not say much after the match, but he posted a message on Instagram to encourage the fans. The forward wrote: “It was not the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Heads up and focus on the next match.”
It was not the beginning Portugal wanted against what was seen as the weakest rival in Group K. Even after they went ahead through a João Neves goal, a last-minute first-half strike from Yoane Wissa made it 1-1 and the score held until the end of their opening match.
Ronaldo’s brief comments
The atmosphere was not ideal, as Portugal was expected to open the tournament with a comfortable win over DR Congo. To make matters worse for Ronaldo, every major name such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland had already scored more than once over these days.
Ronaldo was followed closely by DR Congo (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
The team’s frustrating performance was even clearer in the second half, when their rivals produced several counterattacks that came close but did not result in goals. In that context, Ronaldo offered a few words to SportTV while signing an autograph for a fan.
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Video: Yoane Wissa stuns Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal with late first-half equalizer for DR Congo
Ronaldo said about the match, according to A Bola: “There was nothing missing, that’s soccer. Could Portugal have won? Yes, but they could have lost as well, it could have gone either way.”
Portugal’s next matches
Portugal did not start the competition the way they wanted, so they have little margin for error in their next two matches if they want to win the group. Their next opponent is Uzbekistan on June 23, before they close the round against a tougher team like Colombia on June 27.
