HOUSTON (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates could only manage a 1-1 draw with Congo on Wednesday in their opening World Cup match.Congo, which was playing at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, became the second African nation to make a strong start in the tournament against European competition following Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain on Monday.Playing in front of a crowd of 68,777 spectators at NRG Stadium, which was mostly filled with Portugal supporters, Congo was making only its second World Cup appearance. The first came in 1974, when the team was known as Zaire.João Neves gave Portugal the lead in the sixth minute. The 5-foot-7 midfielder headed in a cross from Pedro Neto.Yoane Wissa equalized for Congo with a header in stoppage time at the end of the first half off a cross from Arthur Masuaku, delighting the small pockets of blue-clad fans.It was Congo’s first World Cup goal in the country’s history.Congo was shut out in its previous three World Cup matches, losing to Scotland (2-0), Yugoslavia (9-0) and reigning champion Brazil (3-0) at the 1974 tournament in West Germany.Ronaldo joined Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the only players to appear in six World Cups. And Ronaldo had a chance to move out of a tie with Messi, who had a hat trick on Tuesday, by becoming the first player to score in a sixth tournament. Ronaldo missed shots wide right in the 68th and 73rd minutes. He shook his head in disgust after both.Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.