Ronaldo struggles as World Cup rivals excel; Portugal draws with DR Congo

The 2026 World Cup saw several of football's biggest superstars deliver impressive performances on consecutive days. On Tuesday, Kylian Mbappe scored twice against Senegal to become France's all-time leading goalscorer, Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two goals in Norway's victory over Iraq, and Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria, moving level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-leading goalscorer in World Cup finals history.

On Wednesday in Houston, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal faced DR Congo in their opening group match. The Portugal captain was unable to follow his rivals' goal-scoring exploits, as his team laboured to a 1-1 draw. By starting the match, the 41-year-old Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match at 41 years and 132 days of age. Portugal dominated possession with 75% of the ball and took a sixth-minute lead through João Neves's header from Pedro Neto's cross, but struggled to convert their dominance into further goals, managing only seven attempts with just one on target.

Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa equalized for DR Congo just before half-time, and Portugal failed to find a winner despite creating further opportunities. Ronaldo squandered his side's best chance late in the match when his run blocked a cut-back intended for Bruno Fernandes, who was in a better position near the penalty spot. The incident drew criticism from former France striker Thierry Henry, who commented on Fox Sports that Ronaldo was prioritizing personal glory over team success: "The team needs to score, not you." Ronaldo had two chances in the second half from Francisco Conceicao's crosses but failed to capitalize on either.

Ronaldo has now extended his goal drought at major tournaments to 10 consecutive matches without a goal since scoring a penalty against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup. He remains four goals short of his historic goal of becoming the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. Former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney had predicted before the match that Ronaldo would be motivated by his rivals' performances, noting that competition drives his mentality. However, BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Chris Sutton criticized manager Roberto Martinez for leaving Ronaldo on the field for the entire match rather than substituting him when it became clear he was not performing effectively.