Portugal have a Ronaldo problem (again) after draw...
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- Portugal drew 1-1 with Congo DR in their 2026 World Cup opener after João Neves' early header — finished off a six-pass sequence totaling 84 completed passes to 12 — was canceled out by Yoane Wissa's corner-kick equalizer late in the first half.
- Congo DR outshot Portugal 8-7 overall, held a 2-1 edge in shots on goal, and created more expected goals (0.82 to 0.64) despite entering as heavy underdogs.
- Cristiano Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes in his sixth World Cup but finished with three shot attempts, zero chances created, two progressive carries (second-fewest of any Portugal starter), and no ground duel attempts.
- Ronaldo has now gone 10 straight World Cup and European Championship matches without a goal, dating back to a penalty against Ghana in Portugal's 2022 opener — nearly five years without an open-play goal at a major tournament.
- Roberto Martinez never substituted Ronaldo; backup striker Gonçalo Ramos entered in the 83rd minute but replaced midfielder Vitinha, not Ronaldo, drawing pointed postgame questioning.
- Martinez defended the decision, saying: "It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals."
- Over the past two years, Portugal have averaged 1.9 goals per game when Ronaldo starts and 2.8 when he doesn't — a gap that becomes harder for Martinez to dismiss after a fourth failed World Cup opener in five tournaments.
Why it matters: This was the fourth time in five World Cups Portugal failed to win their opener, and the underlying numbers give Martinez a tactical problem he has not solved: Portugal have scored once in Ronaldo's last 396 major-tournament minutes and average nearly a goal more per game (2.8 vs 1.9) when he doesn't start. With a credible Plan B (Gonçalo Ramos) on the bench and an early lead squandered, the manager's refusal to make the obvious substitution is now the subplot of Portugal's tournament.
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