In their opening match of Group F at the 2026 World Cup on the evening of June 17th, Portugal drew 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cristiano Ronaldo started and played the full 90 minutes but didn't leave much of an impression. When he left the field after the final whistle, the 41-year-old superstar became the target of taunts from a section of the Congolese audience, who chanted Lionel Messi's name in unison.
Ronaldo has gone 10 consecutive matches without scoring in major competitions. Photo: FIFA.
Chants of "Messi, Messi" erupted from the stands behind the track as Ronaldo entered the tunnel. The Portuguese striker showed no particular reaction, simply continuing to walk alongside his teammates.
The draw against a supposedly weaker opponent drew much criticism for Portugal. The European team dominated possession but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities for Ronaldo. After the match, coach Roberto Martinez admitted his players failed to get the ball to their captain in a favorable position.
"We couldn't get the ball to Ronaldo in the way we wanted. The team created many chances but lacked the final passes," said the Spanish coach.
Including his opening match at the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo has gone 10 consecutive games without scoring in major tournaments including the World Cup, Euro, and Nations League. This streak began at Euro 2024 and shows no signs of ending.
In the match against Congo, Ronaldo was almost invisible in attack. He didn't have many scoring opportunities and often had to drop deep to retrieve the ball. Opta statistics show that the former Real Madrid player touched the ball 25 times and only managed 3 shots. Meanwhile, his teammates in the back line also failed to create enough pressure to break through the disciplined defense of the African team.
This is Ronaldo's sixth World Cup, but his age and form are making his role a subject of debate. "He's worried about being the team's leader in this tournament," Bruno Fernandes told the Daily Mail, a day before the match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The reaction of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner became even more unusual after Messi scored a hat-trick.
After the draw against Congo, Ronaldo was one of the first players to leave the field, while most of his teammates stayed longer to thank the fans. Speaking to the media in the quick interview area, he succinctly stated: "We did our best. That's football."
Ronaldo and Portugal still have a chance to redeem themselves in the remaining two group stage matches. Coach Martinez insists the team needs to improve their ball distribution in the final third of the pitch if they want to better utilize their captain's goal-scoring abilities.
At 41 years and 132 days old, Ronaldo officially surpassed the previous record held by former Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson to become the oldest non-goalkeeper player to ever start a World Cup match. This record is predicted to be broken again by CR7 in future matches.
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/ronaldo-bi-cham-choc-sau-tran-hoa-doi-chieu-duoi-d816931.html
