Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating World Cup debut as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday, failing to add his name to a remarkable list of goalscoring milestones set by fellow superstars a day earlier.
On Tuesday, Kylian Mbappe struck twice against Senegal to become France's all-time leading goalscorer, Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with a brace against Iraq, and Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick against Algeria — drawing level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-leading scorer in World Cup finals history.
Portugal fail to fire despite early lead
Portugal made the ideal start when Joao Neves — on loan from Paris St-Germain — directed a superb header into the net from Pedro Neto's left-wing cross in the 6th minute. Yet DR Congo responded strongly, with Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa nodding in a deserved equaliser just before half-time.
Despite controlling 75 percent of possession, Portugal produced only seven attempts at goal, with just the Neves header on target — a return that left much to be desired from one of the tournament's most anticipated squads.
Ronaldo's quiet night raises questions
The 41-year-old, who carries 229 caps and 143 international goals for Portugal, registered a mere 25 touches — fewer than any other outfield player who completed the full match. The Al-Nassr striker, approaching 1,000 career goals across club and country, had two back-to-back opportunities midway through the second half when half-time substitute Francisco Conceicao cut the ball back from the right. The first was placed slightly behind Ronaldo, drawing a tame effort past the near post; on the second, he was closed down by the DR Congo defence and the shot flew wide.
It extended Ronaldo's run to 10 consecutive major-tournament appearances without scoring.
Pundits divided on Martinez's management
Ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, was openly critical when manager Roberto Martinez chose to leave Ronaldo on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, bringing on striker Goncalo Ramos for midfielder Vitinha in the 83rd minute instead.
