The Democratic Republic of Congo marked their return to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years with a memorable 1-1 draw against Portugal in their Group K opener, frustrating the European giants and their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, and boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Portugal entered the contest as favourites and appeared to be heading for a comfortable evening when João Neves opened the scoring.
This was less than six minutes into the match.
The midfielder rose to meet a precise cross from Pedro Neto and headed home for his fourth goal in his last two competitive international appearances.
However, DR Congo refused to be intimidated and responded positively to the early setback.
Yoane Wissa came close to levelling the score with an effort that flashed narrowly wide, while Cédric Bakambu also threatened the Portuguese defence.
Portugal continued to enjoy the majority of possession and nearly doubled their advantage when Bruno Fernandes released Nuno Mendes with a perfectly weighted pass, but goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi produced an excellent save to keep the Leopards in the contest.
Despite controlling large periods of the first half, Portugal struggled to create clear-cut chances against a disciplined Congolese defence.
The African side’s resilience was rewarded just before the break when Wissa found himself unmarked from a corner and powered a header beyond Diogo Costa for DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup goal.
Having seen only a small share of possession, the Leopards nevertheless deserved their equaliser after a determined first-half display.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez responded by introducing Francisco Conceição at half-time in place of Bernardo Silva as his side searched for a breakthrough.
Conceição quickly became involved and nearly restored Portugal’s lead early in the second half.
João Cancelo also thought he had put Portugal back in front with an acrobatic finish after connecting with a pass from Neves, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
DR Congo continued to pose a threat on the counterattack and almost completed a stunning turnaround when Bakambu struck the post, although the referee had already signalled for a foul on Fernandes.
At the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo finally had a sight of goal but failed to guide Conceição’s delivery into the corner.
Both sides pushed for a winner during the closing stages, but chances for Bakambu and Cancelo went begging as the match ended level.
The result represents a significant improvement for DR Congo compared to their previous World Cup appearance, when they suffered three defeats and failed to score a goal.
The Leopards now have every reason to believe they can compete for qualification from Group K, with matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia still to come.
For Portugal, the draw extends a disappointing trend in World Cup openers and leaves questions over an attack that struggled to break down a well-organised Congolese side.
While Ronaldo was unable to mark his sixth World Cup appearance with a goal, DR Congo celebrated a historic result that could prove crucial in their quest to reach the knockout rounds.
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