Ronaldo silent and criticized after Portugal's disappointing draw against Congo

Portugal drew 1-1 against Congo in their first World Cup match on Tuesday, an underperformance that immediately reignited debate over Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in the Seleção’s starting lineup.

Despite a promising start thanks to an early goal from João Neves, the Portuguese failed to preserve their advantage. Ronaldo finished the evening with three attempts, none on target, extending his streak to ten consecutive competitive matches without a goal — a stark contrast to the braces from Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, and the hat-trick from Lionel Messi scored the same evening.

The performance of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner sparked particularly harsh reactions in Portugal. “It’s a handicap for the team,” “with CR7, the Seleção plays with 10 men,” “it has to end,” “his presence is a scandal”: comments from Portuguese supporters and observers reflect growing impatience with the 39-year-old striker.

On the Congolese side, the tone was more measured but equally telling. Midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau explained that no “anti-Ronaldo” game plan had been devised: “He is a bit older now. To be honest, we know he is not the same player anymore.”

This group stage exit therefore promises to be more difficult than expected for Portugal, forced to raise their level in their next match if they want to prevent the controversy surrounding their captain from growing further.