Ronaldo Bows His Head: Portugal Held to a Draw by DR Congo

[Anchor]

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, making his sixth World Cup appearance, saw his pride dented after managing only three shots in his opening match. With captain Ronaldo struggling, title contender Portugal was held to a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bae Jung-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

Like his eternal rival Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has reached the stage of his sixth World Cup, but his presence in the opening match was the polar opposite of Messi's.

Starting as the lone striker, Ronaldo struggled to break through the opponent's defense and failed to record a single shot throughout the first half.

He finally had his first scoring opportunity in the 23rd minute of the second half, but he sent a pass from Francisco Conceição wide of the right goalpost.

Ronaldo, who was unable to convert his two subsequent shots into shots on target, was left with deep regret.

Amidst Ronaldo's silence, title favorite Portugal recorded a draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Although they took an early lead with a goal by Ruben Neves in the 6th minute, they conceded an equalizing header to Yoane Wissa in the final moments of first-half stoppage time. A decisive goal in the 10th minute of the second half was also ruled out due to an offside decision, and they ultimately failed to score a winner.

Meanwhile, another title favorite, England, secured a pleasant first victory by defeating Croatia.

Star striker Harry Kane scored two goals in the first half alone, joining the race for the Golden Boot, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford led the team to victory with goals in their second consecutive tournament.

(Video Editing: Ha Seong-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.