Portugal have a Ronaldo problem (again) after draw...

HOUSTON -- After a picture-perfect beginning, Portugal were rendered mostly ineffective for the final 80 minutes against Congo DR and came away with only a 1-1 draw in a match in which they were heavily favored. It was the fourth time in five World Cups that Portugal failed to win their first match, and it was another referendum on the enigma that is Cristiano Ronaldo at this level in 2026. João Neves' early header gave Portugal the lead and finished up a six-minute sequence in which they completed 84 passes to their opponents' 12. But Congo DR soon played their way into the match, equalizing late in the first half on a corner-kick goal from Yoane Wissa and finishing the match with more shot attempts (eight to seven), more shots on goal (two to one) and more xG created (0.82 to 0.64). Portugal were limited to just six shot attempts after Neves' goal, and even as key creative players such as Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha were withdrawn by coach Roberto Martinez, one notable star who remained on the pitch was 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. - Ogden: On World Cup's day of big stars, Messi still shines brightest - Welcome to 'Tehrangeles:" Iran fans watch Team Melli in Los Angeles - 2026 World Cup: Fixtures, results, all coverage In the first game of his sixth World Cup -- and less than 24 hours after Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi all enjoyed multigoal games and convincing victories -- Ronaldo played all 90 minutes but finished with just three shot attempts, zero chances created, two progressive carries (second fewest of any Portugal starter), two progressive passes (also second fewest), two successful aerial duels, no ground duel attempts and, as is customary, zero defensive interventions and one ball recovery. For all his past brilliance with clubs and country alike, that kind of output isn't going to cut it in 2026. "It became a different game after we scored the first goal," Martinez said. "Until then, our attacking patterns were getting us into the final third. We had very good connections between our inside play and our play out wide. But once Congo equalized, it became a different match. The decision-making changed. "What's important is to reflect, evaluate, and make adjustments for the next match so we can return to the level we've shown over the past few months." For Sébastien Desabre, coach of Congo DR, the match was similar to their World Cup qualification match against Nigeria last November: Nigeria scored in the third minute, but Meschak Elia equalized in the 32nd, and Congo DR ended up advancing in penalties to qualify for the interconfederation playoffs. "Mentally we have the ability to cope with difficult starts to matches, as happened today," he said post-game. "I know my players are capable of resetting themselves mentally and reacting in the right way to put the team back on the right track after a difficult beginning." Even two of Ronaldo's three shot attempts were indicative of a larger problem: He couldn't find any physical advantages against Congolese defenders, which meant he had to drift wide of the goal to find space. Even when Francisco Conceição made dangerous runs to the touch line and created chances for Ronaldo, the shots started and stayed wide. Despite plenty of questions about it after the match, Martinez mostly deflected anything related to Ronaldo and his role, primarily suggesting that they didn't do enough to help him succeed. "After the first goal, we didn't reach the final third at the level we needed in order to provide service to the striker (Ronaldo) and make use of his movements," Martinez said. "So there are aspects we need to improve. "It's about making better use of all the players on the pitch. The striker needs to stay close to goal, but we need to find the spaces and get the ball into those positions." Even greats have poor matches, of course, but this was the continuation of a problem for Ronaldo. Since scoring on a penalty against Ghana in Portugal's first World Cup match in 2022, he's gone 10 straight matches in either the World Cup or European Championships without a goal. It's been almost five years since his last open-play goal in one of these major competitions. In Portugal's last four matches in major competitions, Ronaldo has played 396 of a possible 420 minutes, and Portugal have scored just once. In the last two years in all competitions, Portugal have averaged 1.9 goals per game when he started and 2.8 when he didn't, though that average was plumped up by a 9-1 win over Armenia last November. But he's also shown in the past that he can be impactful at this level. Since his first World Cup back in 2006, Portugal is 5-5-7 (W-D-L) when he doesn't score, and 5-1-0 when he does. Ronaldo did score in both the semifinals and finals as Portugal won last summer's UEFA Nations League, but his contributions have slowed dramatically, and Roberto Martinez has seemingly never come up with a Plan B. Even when backup center-forward Gonçalo Ramos came on against Congo DR in the 83rd minute, it was for Vitinha, a midfielder, not Ronaldo. "I think obviously in a game like today, [where] we were finding it difficult to get into the box -- Congo had a back five that at times was even a back six; they accumulated a lot of players -- I think you can use the quality of Ronaldo," Martinez said. "It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals." There was a time when Ronaldo indeed had a legitimate claim to being the best goal scorer in world football. But those claims have expired, and it would help both Portugal and Martinez if Ronaldo would demonstrate major goal-scoring talent a bit more than he has of late in major tournaments. It also wouldn't hurt to come up with a Plan B at some point, just in case Portugal need it.