HOUSTON (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a pretty forgettable performance in the first match of his sixth World Cup.After Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland all scored in their opening matches, the 41-year-old Ronaldo couldn’t find the net Wednesday in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Congo.With players like Vinícius Júnior, Christian Pulisic, Viktor Gyökeres and Harry Kane also all scoring early in this year’s World Cup, Ronaldo being held scoreless stands out even more.However, the Portugal great did join Messi as the only players to appear in six World Cups. But a day after the Argentina captain had a hat trick, Ronaldo missed a few chances to become the first player to score in a sixth tournament.His shots in the 68th and 73rd minutes went wide right, and he didn’t look happy after either of them.Ronaldo didn’t speak to reporters after the game but he posted about the match on X.
“It wasn’t the start we wanted, but this is far from over,” he wrote. “Head up and focus on the next game.”Portugal coach Roberto Martínez was asked if he considered taking out Ronaldo on Wednesday.
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“It makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals,” Martínez said. “The experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important.”Congo midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau, who is 20 years younger than Ronaldo, addressed the challenge of facing one of the greatest to ever play the game.
