Just two days after Cape Verde was able to tie Spain 0-0, another African side scored a surprising point against a European power.
DR Congo, making its first World Cup appearance since the nation was Zaire in 1974, scored its first World Cup goal in a 1-1 draw with Portugal in Houston on Wednesday. Yoane Wissa scored the game-tying goal with the last play of the first half off a DR Congo corner.
It was a well-deserved point for DR Congo as Portugal dominated possession but struggled to convert its time with the ball into meaningful goal opportunities after João Neves‘ early header.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were quiet for Portugal. Ronaldo’s best chances came in the second half, but a shot inside the box went wide before another was blocked. On Wednesday, the 41-year-old Ronaldo joined Lionel Messi as the only men to play in six World Cups.
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Portugal added a second striker to accompany Ronaldo in the 83rd minute when Gonçalo Ramos came on for his PSG teammate Vitinha. However, coach Roberto Martinez’s tactical change didn’t net a winning goal. Portugal’s best chance late in the game came on a 90th-minute shot from Fernandes that went about a foot wide of the right post.
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Before Wednesday’s game, DR Congo was most known for one of the worst World Cup losses ever. In 1974, Zaire lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia, a game that is still tied for the biggest margin of victory in tournament history. Now, the country has a legitimate chance of making it to the Round of 32 in a group that also includes Colombia and Uzbekistan.
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DR Congo got one of the final spots in the World Cup earlier in the spring when it won the African qualifying playoffs with wins over Cameroon and Nigeria. After those wins, DR Congo needed extra time to beat Jamaica in the Inter-confederation playoff.
Portugal, meanwhile, is still the favorite to win Group K. But it’s an inauspicious start for a team that is looking to progress past the quarterfinals for just the second time in Ronaldo’s career. In 2006, when Ronaldo was 21, Portugal finished fourth in the World Cup.
Since then, Portugal has just one quarterfinal appearance over the last four tournaments and Ronaldo is still looking for his first goal or assist outside of the group stage.
