Thierry Henry accuses Ronaldo of hindering Portugal after draw with Congo

Portugal conceded a disappointing 1-1 draw against Congo on Wednesday in their Group K opener, and Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the center of criticism after the match. Thierry Henry, consultant for Fox, did not spare the former Ballon d’Or winner.

João Neves had opened the scoring in the opening minutes, before Yoane Wissa equalized just before halftime. In the second half, Roberto Martinez’s side multiplied attempts without managing to break through Congo’s defense.

It was Ronaldo’s performance that drew the most criticism after the final whistle. According to Henry, the 39-year-old striker is disrupting Portugal’s collective play by trying to score at all costs. “What matters is that the team scores, not you,” he said. “He absolutely wants to score and gets in the way of Bruno Fernandes. He positions himself in the path of the backward pass, and for defenders, it’s much easier when you see two players in the same spot. That’s my view: the team must score, not necessarily you.”

Portugal is not the only big name to have stumbled at the start: Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands also had difficult beginnings in the competition.

Ronaldo, for his part, preferred to look ahead. “It wasn’t the start we wanted, but everything is far from over. Head up and focus on the next match,” he wrote on Instagram, referring to the upcoming match against Uzbekistan.