Portugal 1-1 DR Congo Statistics: Wessa gets Congo’s first point in the World Cup, leaving the Portuguese disappointed

Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates put in a disappointing performance to clinch the 2026 World Cup World Cup He started. Check out the best data from the game with our partners Portugal vs Democratic Republic of the Congo Statistics page

Yuan warned He scored DR Congo’s first ever World Cup goal to rescue a shock 1-1 draw with Portugal in their World Cup opener at Houston Stadium.

Joao Neves They gave Portugal the lead in the sixth minute, but they struggled to build on that, with Wisa equalizing before half-time to share the points in the first match in Group K.

Portugal started the game brightly when Pedro Neto curled a brilliant cross into the box from the left, and Neves rose high to head home in front of goal before setting up Diogo Jota for the opening goal.

DRC tried to respond immediately, with Wessa firing a low shot wide of the target Ido the speakerDiogo Costa easily blocked a rebound shot just after the half-hour mark.

Although Portugal controlled the ball, the Democratic Republic of Congo scored the next goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the first half. After a short corner kick, Arthur Masuaku crossed to the back post and an unmarked Wessa headed into the roof of the net to create history.

Portugal thought it had regained the lead 10 minutes after the start of the second half when Neves chested in another cross from Bruno Fernandes, but Joao Cancelo He drifted offside before his overhead kick hit the back net.

Moments later at the other end, Cédric Bakambu picked up a loose ball and fired it at the near post from the right of the penalty area, but was penalized for committing a foul during the build-up.

Cristiano Ronaldo He fired two efforts wide of the post as he fell short of another record – more on that to come – and neither side could find a crucial final chance to seal the win.

Wissa’s goal hits Ronaldo’s display

All the talk in the lead-up to the match was that Ronaldo had become the second player to appear in six different World Cups, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi.

He was unable to find the cutting-edge ability needed to become the first player to score in six World Cups, but at 41 years and 132 days, he became the oldest player on the field to start a match in the history of the tournament.

While all eyes were on the veteran, it was one of his younger counterparts who got things going. At 21 years and 263 days, Neves became the third-youngest Portuguese World Cup goalscorer, behind Ronaldo (21 years and 132 days in 2006) and Gonzalo Ramos (21 years and 169 days in 2022).

However, DR Congo ensured an end to a very long wait for their first World Cup goal, in their first appearance in 52 years (they last appeared for Zaire). Wesa’s goal came from their thirty-second attempt.

Sebastien Desabre’s side will feel the pinch, as they registered eight shots worth 0.82 expected goals (xG), while Portugal managed just seven shots worth 0.64 xG at the other end in a disappointing start for one of the favorites to lift the trophy.

Our Opta Match Center brings you all the Portugal vs DR Congo match statistics from the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K encounter at Houston Stadium in Texas on 17 June.

The Match Center below includes team and player statistics, expected goals data, passing grids, an Opta whiteboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.

Below the Match Center, you can find the official Opta stats for the game as well.

Portugal vs Democratic Republic of the Congo: Post-match facts

• Including matches against Zaire, the Democratic Republic of Congo has conceded 15 goals in a FIFA World Cup before scoring one themselves – only South Korea and Bolivia (19 each) have conceded more before scoring their first goal of the tournament.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive matches without scoring in Portugal’s major tournaments (World Cup/Euro), the longest stretch of his international career. His last goal in either competition was against Ghana in the first round of the 2022 World Cup.
• Portugal’s 724 completed passes were the most in a single FIFA World Cup match, while Vitinha’s total of 121 was also the most by a Portuguese player in a single match in the competition.

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