Yoane Wissa rose at the back post in the 71st minute to head DR Congo level at 1-1 with Portugal, securing the Leopards’ first ever point at a World Cup and leaving Roberto Martínez’s side staring at a precarious path through Group K. The Brentford forward met João Cancelo’s mis-hit clearance with a stooping connection that beat Diogo Costa at his near post, sparking scenes of disbelief inside Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, where Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt had outnumbered DR Congo colours by what looked like ten to one.
Bruno Fernandes had opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a curled free-kick that clipped the underside of the bar, and Portugal should have been out of sight by half-time after Bernardo Silva spurned a one-on-one and Rafael Leão clattered the post. Instead, the European side were forced to scrap for a result that flattered them, with Sébastien Desabre’s organised, energetic Leopards more than matching the favourites for territory after the interval.
Ronaldo’s diminishing returns leave Martínez exposed
The clock was about to hit 83 minutes when Martínez rolled the dice one last time. His team needed extra movement up front, so it hardly confounded logic that Gonçalo Ramos was stripped and ready. What made less sense was that Vitinha departed while Ronaldo, peripheral save for two earlier half-chances, remained on the pitch and slogged his way towards the final whistle.
Ronaldo’s baying followers, swathes of them with local accents and wearing his No 7 shirt, had done their best to cajole a meaningful contribution from their idol. They had to settle for being under the same roof. Perhaps they had expected something approaching Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria the previous night; instead they got two off-target headers, a botched volley from the edge of the box, and a body language that read closer to inconvenience than urgency. The watching Gianni Infantino could have been forgiven for wondering whether Fifa’s contortions in freeing the forward from a one-match suspension for this fixture had been worthwhile.
The numbers tell the story. Ronaldo touched the ball 31 times in 92 minutes, fewer than any starter on either side, and completed just 14 of 22 passes. His expected goals tally of 0.12 was the lowest of any Portuguese attacker. Vitinha, the man Martínez sacrificed, had been Portugal’s metronome, completing 56 of his 61 passes and registering three key chances. The decision to remove the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder felt like a concession to sentiment rather than strategy.
Wissa and Desabre rewrite Congolese history
For DR Congo, this was a night that will live in the country’s footballing memory long after the tournament ends. The Leopards arrived in Mexico having lost their solitary previous World Cup appearance, in 1974, by an aggregate scoreline of 14-0. The draw against Portugal is, by some distance, the most significant result in their senior history at a major tournament.
Desabre’s tactical approach deserves credit. The French coach set his side up in a compact 4-4-2 out of possession, with Chancel Mbemba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s club-mate Arthur Masuaku marshalling a back line that gave Leão and Pedro Neto little room behind. In transition, Wissa and Cédric Bakambu broke quickly, with the former’s persistence on Cancelo’s flank eventually producing the equaliser.
- DR Congo’s previous World Cup record: played 3, lost 3, scored 0, conceded 14 (1974)
- Wissa’s goal was Portugal’s first conceded in a World Cup group stage since 2018
- Portugal had 67% possession but registered only 1.34 xG
- Ronaldo has now gone five consecutive World Cup games without a goal from open play
Group K opens up before the heavyweight clash
The result leaves Group K finely poised heading into the second round of fixtures. Uruguay’s earlier 2-0 win over South Korea means Marcelo Bielsa’s side top the group on goal difference, with Portugal and DR Congo level on a point. The Leopards now face South Korea in Houston on Saturday, a genuinely winnable fixture, while Portugal travel to Dallas to meet Uruguay in a contest that suddenly looks decisive rather than ornamental.
Martínez was bullish in his post-match remarks, insisting Portugal had “controlled the game from start to finish” and that the result was “a small setback, nothing more.” The numbers offer partial support, but the eye test, and Ronaldo’s continuing decline as a tournament force, suggest otherwise. A team built around a 41-year-old centre-forward who barely moves now requires the rest of the side to do double the running, and Vitinha is no longer on the pitch to do it.
For DR Congo, the journey continues. For Portugal, the questions are only just beginning.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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