Wissa's historic equaliser stuns Portugal as Ronaldo fails to answer Messi's hat-trick

DR Congo stunned Portugal 1-1 in Houston as Yoane Wissa scored his country’s first ever World Cup goal, denying Cristiano Ronaldo the stage he needed to answer Lionel Messi’s hat-trick from the day before.

João Neves had given Roberto Martinez’s side an early lead inside six minutes, rising to meet Pedro Neto’s cross and guiding a precise header past goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. Portugal dominated possession and territory, pinning Congo deep inside their own half for long stretches, but the so-called ‘Leopards’ refused to capitulate.

Wissa, who managed just one goal in his debut season at Newcastle United, produced the moment that rewrote the history books. The striker curled an equaliser past Mpasi on the stroke of half-time to level the match and send shockwaves through a game Portugal had been expected to control.

The result carried a particular sting for Ronaldo. Just 24 hours earlier, Messi had plundered three goals in Argentina’s opening World Cup fixture in Kansas City. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland had also scored twice in their respective group-stage openers, piling pressure on Ronaldo — already the first player to score at six different World Cups — to demonstrate he still belongs in that elite company.

Instead, Ronaldo’s most notable first-half contribution was remonstrating with the referee over a booking shown to Bernardo Silva. Portugal’s creative engine ran through Bruno Fernandes, Neves, Silva, and Vitinha rather than their captain, and several crosses into the box arrived just beyond Ronaldo’s reach.

Congo grew in confidence after the equaliser. Cédric Bakumbu struck the post and later lashed a shot over the bar as the Africans threatened a famous winning goal. Mpasi’s long throws repeatedly launched dangerous counter-attacks that kept Portugal’s defence honest.

For Ronaldo, the evening served as an uncomfortable reminder that his country no longer revolves around him — and that the gap between himself and Messi, at least on this World Cup’s opening weekend, has rarely looked wider.