A surprising Cristiano Ronaldo stat pops up during Portugal’s draw with DR Congo, and one moment says it all about the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo tell the story of a tough game for him. After Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 2026 World Cup opener against Algeria, everyone was watching Ronaldo as Portugal started their World Cup journey against DR Congo.
As expected, the 41-year-old led the team as captain and wore a special kit celebrating his sixth World Cup. Portugal started strong, with João Neves from Paris Saint-Germain scoring just six minutes in. But in the last moments of the first half, Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa scored for DR Congo, and the game ended in a draw—a disappointing result for Portugal, who were heavy favorites.
After the match, many questions came up about Ronaldo’s performance, and his stats were not very impressive. In the first half, he didn’t create any chances, take a shot, beat an opponent, or win a duel. Considering Portugal held 80% possession then, this was surprising.
Fans on social media were also frustrated. They said Ronaldo seemed determined to be the one to score the winning goal, calling for the ball even when he wasn’t in the best position. Sometimes it looked like teammates passed to him instead of taking shots themselves.
The most talked-about moment was in the 68th minute. Francisco Conceição made a great run and passed to Bruno Fernandes, who had a big chance to score. But Ronaldo jumped in front of Fernandes and took the shot himself—and missed badly.
One fan wrote, “If Ronaldo wasn’t glory hunting, Bruno Fernandes would have scored.” Another said, “Ronaldo is holding Portugal back. This squad has so much potential, but they’re wasting their best years making room for a 41-year-old striker. It’s crazy.”
Despite this, Ronaldo got some support from former teammate Wayne Rooney, who was a pundit for the BBC. Rooney said Ronaldo often stands offside, but that’s a smart move because it forces the opponents to watch him and creates space for his teammates. He praised Ronaldo’s clever positioning but agreed that DR Congo deserved the point because they played harder.