Cristiano Ronaldo and co put in a disappointing performance to get their 2026 World Cup started. Check out all the best data from the game with our Portugal vs DR Congo stats page
Yoane Wissa scored DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup goal to salvage a shock 1-1 draw with Portugal in their World Cup opener in Houston Stadium.
João Neves had given Portugal a sixth-minute lead, but they struggled to build on that as Wissa levelled on the stroke of half-time to share the points in the first game in Group K.
Portugal made a dream start with Pedro Neto lifting a lovely cross into the box from the left, and Neves rose highest to head across goal before dedicating his opener to Diogo Jota.
DR Congo attempted to immediately fight back, with Wissa drilling a low shot wide, while Edo Kayembe‘s bouncing shot was easily held by Diogo Costa shortly after the half-hour mark.
Though Portugal dominated possession, DR Congo scored the next goal in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. After a short corner, Arthur Masuaku whipped a cross to the back post and the unmarked Wissa thumped his header into the roof of the net to create history.
Portugal thought they had retaken the lead 10 minutes into the second half when Neves chested down another Bruno Fernandes cross, but João Cancelo had drifted offside before his overhead kick hit the back of the net.
Moments later at the other end, Cédric Bakambu latched onto a loose ball to fire against the near post from the right of the box, but he was penalised for a foul in the build-up.
Cristiano Ronaldo poked two half-efforts wide of the post as he fell short of another record – more on that to come – and neither side could find one last crucial opening to grab a winner.
Wissa’s Goal Rains on Ronaldo’s Parade
All the talk in the build-up to the game was about Ronaldo becoming just the second player to appear at six different World Cups, following in Lionel Messi’s footsteps.
He could not find the cutting edge needed to become the first player to score in six World Cups, but at 41 years and 132 days, he did become the oldest outfield player to start a match in the tournament’s history.
While all eyes were on the veteran, it was one of his younger counterparts who got things going. At 21y 263d, Neves became the third-youngest Portuguese scorer at a World Cup, behind Ronaldo (21y 132d in 2006) and Gonçalo Ramos (21y 169d in 2022).
DR Congo, though, ensured they ended a long, long wait for their first World Cup goal, in their first appearance in 52 years (they last appeared as Zaire). Wissa’s goal came from their 32nd attempt.
Sebastien Desabre’s side will feel slightly hard done by, having eight shots worth 0.82 expected goals (xG), while Portugal managed just seven worth 0.64 xG at the other end in a disappointing opening for one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Portugal vs DR Congo stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K meeting at Houston Stadium in Texas on 17 June.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Portugal vs DR Congo: Post-Match Opta Facts
- Including games as Zaire, Congo DR conceded 15 goals at the FIFA World Cup before scoring one themselves – only Korea Republic and Bolivia (19 each) conceded more before netting their first in the competition.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive games without scoring a goal at major tournaments for Portugal (FIFA World Cup/EUROs), the longest run of his international career. His last strike in either of the two competitions was against Ghana on MD1 of the 2022 World Cup.
- Portugal’s 724 completed passes were their most in a FIFA World Cup match, while Vitinha’s total of 121 was also the most by a Portugal player in a single game in the competition.
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