Cristiano Ronaldo has built his career on moments like this one, and Portugal needed him to deliver against DR Congo. Instead, the team's World Cup opener turned into a frustrating reminder that talent alone does not win soccer matches.
Portugal controlled the game from start to finish, holding 75 percent possession and completing 92 percent of their 724 passes. None of it translated into real danger.
The team managed just 7 shots all night, with only one finding the target, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
For Ronaldo personally, the night extended a rough stretch on the international stage. He has now gone 10 major tournament games for Portugal without scoring.
REUTERS-Phil Noble
Ronaldo did not hide his frustration as the final whistle blew, and his body language said plenty about how the team performed. Controlling the ball means little when the opposing goalkeeper can just pull up a lawn chair and watch the game. Still, with two group games left, there is room to fix things.
Ronaldo addressed the result directly on social media after the match.
"It wasn't the start we wanted, but this is far from over," he wrote in Portuguese. "Head up and focus on the next game."
Service was the issue all night. Ronaldo rarely saw quality looks and ended up forcing shots from difficult angles that never threatened the goal.
At 41, he is not the player who tracks the length of the field or beats three defenders off the dribble anymore. That version of Ronaldo is gone. Get him the ball inside the box, though, and he remains one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport.
Portugal's next two matches come against Uzbekistan and Colombia, and six points from those games should be the expectation.
The Houston performance exposed a real problem in how this team is built. If Portugal wants to lift the trophy in July, the approach has to shift from slow and possession heavy to fast and direct.
