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06/17 14:17 CDT Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal held to a 1-1 draw by Congo at
the World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal held to a 1-1 draw by Congo at the World Cup
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
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.
Joao 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 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.
Bruno Fernandes also had a chance to put Portugal on top in the 90th minute but
his shot was also wide right.
Portugal looked to have taken the lead in the 55th minute on a bicycle kick by
Joao Cancelo, but he was ruled offside.
Soon after that, Cdric Bakambu's attempt to put Congo on top failed when his
shot bounced off the near post.
Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, taking
the record set four years ago by Canada midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. Cameroon
great Roger Milla is the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup match,
coming on as a substitute at 42 years old during the 1994 World Cup.
The parents of Diogo Jota, a member of the Portugal team who died alongside his
brother in a car crash last summer, attended the game in a luxury suite.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
