FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Today Live Score: Joao Neves’ 6th minute strike was cancelled out by Yoane Wissa in the 45th minute as Portugal and DR Congo went into half time with the score at 1-1. After Lionel Messi scored a hattrick and helped Argentina start their World Cup campaign with a bang with a 3-0 demolition of Algeria, the onus will now be on rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to open their encounter with DR Congo on Wednesday in Houston with a positive result.
Ronaldo, who finally won the Saudi Premier League for the first time after his transfer to Al Nassr in 2023, will look to banish the ghosts of the 2022 edition when he scored just one goal in Qatar and had to leave the tournament in tears after losing to Morocco in the quarterfinals. His goal-scoring drought in major competitions continued in 2024 when he went goal-less in the Euro and Portugal were eliminated in the quarterfinal by France.
Congo, meanwhile, are coming into the World Cup after 52 years. But their off-pitch problems took a turn for the worse when an Ebola outbreak was declared in Congo on May 15. They then had to relocate their training camp to Belgium and before entering the United States, the players will have to maintain a 21-day bubble outside the country. Still, a positive result against 2016 Euro champions Portugal will go a long way in putting smiles on faces of their fans.