📂 Categoría: World Cup | 📅 Fecha: 1781727645
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Cristiano Ronaldo endured a terrible start to the 2026 World Cup as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves headed Roberto Martinez’s side in front early on.
However, Portugal failed to build upon their early lead as the African outfit equalised through Yoane Wissa on the stroke of half time.
Portugal enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but were unable to break the Leopards down.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal, mustered just seven shots across the 90 minutes, while their only effort on target was Neves’ sixth-minute opener.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, fired off three shots against DR Congo, none of which troubled DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The 41-year-old endured a match to forget as he managed just 25 touches, the fewest he has ever had in a major tournament game when he has played the full 90 minutes.
His 25 touches was also the joint-fewest, level with defender Axel Tuanzebe, in the 1-1 draw against DR Congo, of those to play the whole game.
For context, Lionel Messi managed 57 touches in his stunning performance against Algeria, while Kylian Mbappe touched the ball 37 times in his record-breaking two-goal salvo against Senegal.
Interestingly, Erling Haaland only had 20 touches on his World Cup debut, but still managed to score twice in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq.
Additionally, Ronaldo failed to complete a dribble and didn’t create a chance for his teammates during an ineffective showing in Portugal’s Group K clash.
It is not just a poor start for Ronaldo against his fellow big-name superstars, it is a continuation of his dismal showings at major tournaments in recent years.
The Al-Nassr forward, who is 31 goals away from netting 1,000 career goals, failed to hit the back of the net at Euro 2024 two years ago, despite having the second most shots in Germany.
Ronaldo was also poor in Portugal’s pre-tournament friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria, games in which the highlight reels on social media consisted of comical misses.
It remains to be seen now how Portugal and head coach Martinez react for their second group stage game against Uzbekistan.
The tournament debutants take on Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time) as they look to make a splash in North America.
Portugal then round off their group stage campaign with a game against Colombia later this month in their bid to win the World Cup for the first time.
talkSPORT verdict: ‘He offered nothing’
Former Ireland forward and talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who twice led the line for the Boys in Green at a World Cup, tore into Ronaldo and Portugal boss Martinez at full-time on Wednesday.
Speaking live on talkSPORT 2’s live coverage, Cass said: “I’m trying to be as kind as I can… but he [Ronaldo] was really off it. And he just looks like time has caught up with him.
“He hasn’t got the pace. He’s not even got the energy to pick up the ball.
“I remember Ronaldo as that winger that just got the ball and drove at people. Ok, he’s aged, he’s not that type of player anymore, but he offered nothing to the Portuguese team.
“I can’t believe Martinez has kept him on. I’m thinking, ‘This is your job – does he just want to keep friends with Ronaldo? Do you want to stay on his side?’
“You’ve got to take people off. If that’s the decision that improves the team and gives the best chance of winning, you’ve got to make it as a manager.
“And I know he’s going to leave at the end of this term. This felt like it’s a manager just going, ‘I’m gonna stay pals with my mate Ronaldo’.”
Cristiano Ronaldo endured a terrible start to the 2026 World Cup as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves headed Roberto Martinez’s side in front early on.
However, Portugal failed to build upon their early lead as the African outfit equalised through Yoane Wissa on the stroke of half time.
Portugal enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but were unable to break the Leopards down.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal, mustered just seven shots across the 90 minutes, while their only effort on target was Neves’ sixth-minute opener.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, fired off three shots against DR Congo, none of which troubled DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The 41-year-old endured a match to forget as he managed just 25 touches, the fewest he has ever had in a major tournament game when he has played the full 90 minutes.
His 25 touches was also the joint-fewest, level with defender Axel Tuanzebe, in the 1-1 draw against DR Congo, of those to play the whole game.
For context, Lionel Messi managed 57 touches in his stunning performance against Algeria, while Kylian Mbappe touched the ball 37 times in his record-breaking two-goal salvo against Senegal.
Interestingly, Erling Haaland only had 20 touches on his World Cup debut, but still managed to score twice in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq.
Additionally, Ronaldo failed to complete a dribble and didn’t create a chance for his teammates during an ineffective showing in Portugal’s Group K clash.
It is not just a poor start for Ronaldo against his fellow big-name superstars, it is a continuation of his dismal showings at major tournaments in recent years.
The Al-Nassr forward, who is 31 goals away from netting 1,000 career goals, failed to hit the back of the net at Euro 2024 two years ago, despite having the second most shots in Germany.
Ronaldo was also poor in Portugal’s pre-tournament friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria, games in which the highlight reels on social media consisted of comical misses.
It remains to be seen now how Portugal and head coach Martinez react for their second group stage game against Uzbekistan.
The tournament debutants take on Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time) as they look to make a splash in North America.
Portugal then round off their group stage campaign with a game against Colombia later this month in their bid to win the World Cup for the first time.
talkSPORT verdict: ‘He offered nothing’
Former Ireland forward and talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who twice led the line for the Boys in Green at a World Cup, tore into Ronaldo and Portugal boss Martinez at full-time on Wednesday.
Speaking live on talkSPORT 2’s live coverage, Cass said: “I’m trying to be as kind as I can… but he [Ronaldo] was really off it. And he just looks like time has caught up with him.
“He hasn’t got the pace. He’s not even got the energy to pick up the ball.
“I remember Ronaldo as that winger that just got the ball and drove at people. Ok, he’s aged, he’s not that type of player anymore, but he offered nothing to the Portuguese team.
“I can’t believe Martinez has kept him on. I’m thinking, ‘This is your job – does he just want to keep friends with Ronaldo? Do you want to stay on his side?’
“You’ve got to take people off. If that’s the decision that improves the team and gives the best chance of winning, you’ve got to make it as a manager.
“And I know he’s going to leave at the end of this term. This felt like it’s a manager just going, ‘I’m gonna stay pals with my mate Ronaldo’.”
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📚 Información de la Fuente
| 📰 Publicación: | talksport.com |
| ✍️ Autor: | Ben McAleer |
| 📅 Fecha Original: | 2026-06-17 19:59:00 |
| 🔗 Enlace: | Ver artículo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artículo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglés al español para facilitar su comprensión. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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