Portugal Held to Draw as Ronaldo Struggles
While other prominent football figures made significant impacts in the 2026 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo's performance on Wednesday did not meet similar heights. Portugal's captain was unable to score in his team's 1-1 draw against DR Congo, missing an opportunity to become the first player to net in six different World Cups.
Earlier in the tournament, Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France, making him the nation's all-time leading scorer. Erling Haaland also marked his World Cup debut with two goals for Norway. Lionel Messi went further, achieving a hat-trick for Argentina, which brought him level with Miroslav Klose as a joint-leading goalscorer in World Cup finals history.
Manager's Decisions Under Scrutiny
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, providing commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live, criticized Portugal coach Roberto Martinez's decision to keep the 41-year-old Ronaldo on the field for the entire match in Houston. Sutton remarked, "He's scared to take him off. He's not the manager. [Ronaldo] may end up scoring the winner but the game has passed him by today." This comment came as striker Goncalo Ramos replaced midfielder Vitinha in the 83rd minute.
Before the match, ex-England captain Wayne Rooney speculated that Ronaldo would be motivated by the strong performances of his peers, stating, "He wants to be the best and that's not in a bad way. He'll want to go out there and score two or three tonight to show he's still at that level."
Match Highlights and Missed Opportunities
Despite Portugal taking an early lead with a sixth-minute header from Joao Neves, assisted by Pedro Neto, DR Congo equalized just before half-time through Yoane Wissa. Portugal dominated possession with 75% but managed only seven attempts at goal, with only one on target.
Ronaldo, who is nearing 1,000 career goals, had two close chances in the second half. Both opportunities came from cut-backs by substitute Francisco Conceicao. The first attempt was weak and went past the near post, while the second, under defensive pressure, flew wide. Ronaldo's 25 touches were the fewest among Portugal's outfield players who completed the match, and he has now gone ten consecutive major tournament games without scoring.
Rooney commented on Ronaldo's overall play, saying, "His stats will never be the best. What he needs is chances. If he gets good chances, he'll score goals."
Team Dynamics and Superstar Influence
Both Rooney and former French internationals Gael Clichy and Olivier Giroud suggested that Conceicao might have been better positioned to shoot himself rather than pass to Ronaldo for the first chance. Clichy also pondered whether Ronaldo's superstar status could "unconsciously" affect his teammates' play.
"We said at the beginning of the game that Ronaldo will be helping young players because of his character and experience, but sometimes unconsciously those kinds of players can kind of take too much light," Clichy told BBC One. "In the first chance, maybe if it was not Ronaldo, [Conceicao] would have had a go at goal."
Clichy elaborated that while this isn't necessarily Ronaldo's fault, it highlights the manager's crucial role in making decisions that allow other players to take responsibility. "This is normal and this is where the choice of the manager is important because during the 90 minutes, we were saying 'is he going to take him out because we know he's got a goal in him?' But at the same time, we know the game is sometimes not natural because of him being on the pitch."
Source: BBC Sport