TROY TAORMINA / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters
Portugal entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the favorites to win the tournament. Their first match in the group stage, however, was far from convincing.
In their opening match of the World Cup, Portugal played to a 1-1 draw against DR Congo. After scoring within the first six minutes of the match through a Joao Neves header, DR Congo leveled that match just prior to halftime. The match ended 1-1.
As we reported prior to the start of the World Cup, the form of Cristiano Ronaldo looked as though it was set to be a major hindrance to the Portugal national team, which wound up coming to fruition in their opening match.
In the first half, despite Portugal having 80% of the possession, Ronaldo had zero: goals, assists, shots, shots on target, chances created, big chances created, successful take-ons, fouls won, and duels won.
For the ninth straight match, Ronaldo had fewer touches than the opposition goalkeeper. In short, he may as well have not been on the pitch.
Thierry Henry called out Cristiano Ronaldo for being more focused on personal goals than team success
While breaking down the match, French legend Thierry Henry elegantly broke down Portugal’s Ronaldo problem by saying: “The team needs to score. Not YOU need to score.”
Thierry Henry on Ronaldo: “The team needs to score. Not YOU need to score.”#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/RS1xYorFFk
— Eric Njiru ⚽️ (@EricNjiiru) June 17, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half:
0 goals
0 assists
0 shots
0 shots on target
0 chances created
0 big chances created
0 successful take-ons
0 fouls won
0 duels wonDespite Portugal having 80% possession. pic.twitter.com/7qBKAenaA3
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) June 17, 2026
Portugal’s next match in the group stage will be against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, June 23 at 1 p.m.. The Portuguese will likely see the match as a must-win as their third and final group stage game will be against Colombia on Saturday, June 27.