Ronaldo scoreless in Portugal's 1-1 World Cup draw with Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a forgettable performance in his sixth World Cup on Wednesday, failing to score as Portugal drew 1-1 with Congo in Houston. The 41-year-old, who became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, had several chances to break through but his shots in the 68th and 73rd minutes went wide right. His scoreless outing stands out amid a tournament where top stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior, Christian Pulisic, Viktor Gyökeres and Harry Kane all scored in their opening matches.

Ronaldo missed an opportunity to become the first player ever to score in six World Cup tournaments, a distinction Messi had come close to achieving the day before with a hat trick. The Portugal captain did, however, join Messi as only the second player to appear in six World Cups. The match marked the 229th game of Ronaldo's international career, the most for any male player in history. After the game, Ronaldo posted on X: "It wasn't the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game."

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez defended the decision to keep Ronaldo on the pitch, stating: "It makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals. The experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important." When asked about Ronaldo's playing time in upcoming matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia, Martínez said the team would assess all players individually rather than making age-related decisions.

Congo midfielder Ngal'ayel Mukau acknowledged the difficulty of facing one of football's greatest players while noting visible differences in Ronaldo's performance. "We know that Ronaldo isn't the same as before," Mukau said. "So we know that he runs less, less efforts. So yeah, it was up to our defense to stop him, and they did a great job." The result likely represents a significant moment for Ronaldo, as this tournament is expected to be his final World Cup. He previously won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and reached the World Cup semifinals in his first tournament in 2006.