Except for Germany and France, European teams are mostly performing poorly in their respective debuts at the 2026 World Cup. This worrying trend was repeated with Portugal, one of the title contenders, which surprisingly drew 1-1 against the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the NRG Stadium in Houston, despite being largely dominant for much of the match.
In the first minutes, the Portuguese team quickly took the lead. Only 6 minutes had passed when Pedro Neto sent a precise cross from the left and Joao Neves appeared in the area to head the ball and establish the 1-0.
With the score in their favor, the European team would take absolute control of the match. Supported by the play of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Neves in midfield, they monopolized possession of the ball and forced the Africans to retreat close to their area.
However, the territorial dominance would not translate into clear chances. While they would achieve very high percentages of ball possession, the European team would show difficulties in generating constant danger against the goal defended by Lionel Mpasi. On the other side, the DRC would rely on a compact block and find spaces to threaten through quick offensive transitions.
When it seemed that Portugal would go into halftime with the lead, a surprise came at the end of the first half. In stoppage time, Yoane Wissa would take advantage of a corner kick, appear unmarked at the far post, and beat Diogo Costa with a header to seal the 1-1.
The goal would change the emotional landscape of the match. The European team would return from the locker room determined to regain the lead and generated several approaches. In that sense, at 55, they would celebrate a stunning goal from Joao Cancelo after a spectacular bicycle kick; however, the action would be ruled out for an earlier offside.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo would also play a key role in the search for victory, albeit from the negative side. The Portuguese captain, who is playing in his sixth World Cup, would actively participate in attack and have some of the clearest opportunities of the second half, but would not manage to score. One example of this would occur at 68 and 73, when he would have two almost identical situations that inexplicably did not end in a goal.
As the minutes passed, Roberto Martínez's team would accumulate chances and trap their opponent near their area, but would again face problems with finishing. The last great opportunity would fall to Bruno Fernandes, whose shot from outside the area would pass very close to the goal as the match entered stoppage time. Despite the final attempts, the Portuguese team would not find the goal that would allow them to secure the victory, settling for a draw that left bittersweet feelings.
After this draw, Portugal will seek to earn three points in their next match against Uzbekistan next Tuesday, June 23 at the same stadium where they played today. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will try to continue making history against Colombia on the same day at the AKRON Stadium in Guadalajara.
