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    This is far from over

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    Cristiano Ronaldo urged fans not to lose hope after Portugal opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw wth DR Congo on Wednesday (June 17) in Houston.

    Ronaldo, 41, made history by becoming the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, also drawing level with Lionel Messi as the only players to appear in six different editions.

    While he urged positivity with his post-game comments, there was little of note about the Al-Nassr forward’s performance – two off-target shots and 25 touches – the lowest by any Portugal player to have played at least 45 minutes.

    Joao Neves opened the scoring inside six minutes before an unmarked Yoane Wissa headed Congo level on the cuso of half-time. Following the game, Ronaldo tweeted (as translated from Portuguese):

    “It wasn’t the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.”

    It’s now 10 games that Ronaldo hasn’t scored at a major tournament, a streak that includes a five-game scoreless campaign at Euro 2024, ending a 10-tournament scoring run.

    The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is on a four-game scoreless streak for Portugal, including both pre-World Cup friendlies in June, since scoring both goals in a 2-2 draw with Hungary in a World Cup qualifier in October.

    What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

    Portugal vs Congo DR: Group K - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Source: Getty
    Portugal vs Congo DR: Group K – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Source: Getty

    Portugal will look to get their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign up and running when they take on competition debutants Uzbekistan next in their second group K game on Monday (June 22) in Houston.

    The two-time semi-finalists disappointed against Congo – a team ranked 36 places below Portugal (7) in the latest FIFA rankings – failing to find a winner despite seeing three-fourth of the ball.

    Former England striker Wayne Rooney was critical of Ronaldo and Co.’s performance against the African side:

    “The first game of the group is so important and for Portugal to perform the way they have performed, you want to see more energy,” Rooney said (as per The Independent). “I want to see more legs in the team. I want to see players run past Cristiano Ronaldo at times. I think it was a poor performance from Portugal.”

    Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney were teammates at Manchester United in the 2000s before the Portugal captain moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.