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As for Portugal manager Roberto Martínez, I’m sure he’s saying: Houston, we have a problem.
But for DR Congo? Houston: this is a DREAM.
On Tuesday afternoon in Texas, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, and once again an African side produced an inspiring performance against an Iberian side to record the biggest result in its history.
I think it is obvious that Portugal needs to improve greatly and has so much to improve. But it was another majestic performance from the early days of this tournament. DR Congo – like Cape Verde’s draw against Spain – should be very, very proud.
Here are my takeaways:
1. It won’t happen, but Ronaldo shouldn’t start for Portugal
(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
I’m sure I’ll get a thousand messages from Ronaldo super fans, but here’s a statement I’ve been making for a long time now. I think Portugal possess so much more fluidity when the legendary captain comes off the bench.
Portugal, who are looking to win their first ever World Cup title, are a star-studded team – led by a 41-year-old Ronaldo, who has joined Lionel Messi as the only male players to feature in six World Cups. But Martínez knows that with this deep squad at his disposal, which includes Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, who will join José Mourinho’s Real Madrid next season, he wants to go far.
I would also say that this is nothing against Ronaldo, it’s more about Martínez’s philosophy and how he prefers an interchangeable attacking line-up, and the 41-year-old striker essentially slows down that pace because he’s such a goalkeeper. I know that will never happen. But I just think Portugal would be much stronger with some younger, more mobile strikers like Gonçalo Ramos and Rafael Leão.
2. DR Congo deserved the result and inspired a nation
(Photo by Julian Finney – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
It was a celebration 52 years in the making, as DR Congo was on its way back to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it was Zaire.
There is no doubt that the Central African side had heart and an intention to earn something against this talented Portuguese side. It gave away almost 80% possession, but in many moments it decided to play and push forward with a more direct approach.
And then the story. After giving up 15 goals at the World Cup dating back to that 1974 tournament, Yoane Wissa forever etched his name into his country’s history with a first-half goal. At the start, Wissa was isolated, as was his teammate Cédric Bakambu, but when a beautiful cross came in, Wissa took the chance. It was well executed by the Newcastle United man.
But throughout the action, the African side stood tall and put in a robust performance. There is so much to be proud of from The Leopards.
3. Disjointed Portugal needs more cohesion
(Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Portugal reached the semi-finals in 1966 and then achieved the feat again 20 years ago when the Seleção das Quinap (The Team of the Shields) finished the 2006 tournament in fourth place.
Since then it has fallen short at that stage, most recently losing to Morocco in the quarter-finals in 2022, when the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first Arab and African nation to reach a last four spot.
I’ve already mentioned the embarrassment of riches in this team, but for a large majority of the action, Portugal, with and without Ronaldo, looked like a collection of individuals playing next to each other, not before each other towards a goal.
The passing accuracy was there. In fact, statistically it was at 96%, which was the best since 1966 – but it came to nothing. Like Spain, it was passed over for passing’s sake. It cannot behave like that.
If Portugal are to at least get to the semi-finals again, it needs to feel more like a team.
4. Colombia can take a lot of inspiration from today
If Colombia get a win against Uzbekistan on Tuesday night, I think Nestor Lorenzo’s side can feel very confident that they can top the group and take something from Portugal in the playoffs, especially since the game will be played in Miami in front of what should be a pro-Colombia crowd.
But as we witnessed on Wednesday, DR Congo will not be a pushover and Colombia cannot overlook this team when the two meet next week in Guadalajara. As for Portugal, the team will return to Houston and face Uzbekistan in what feels like a must-win scenario.
