Leopards Roar in World Cup Debut as DR Congo Frustrate Portugal
Democratic Republic of Congo marked their return to the FIFA World Cup with a spirited 1-1 draw against Portugal in Group K, frustrating one of the tournament favourites in Houston on Wednesday.
Portugal made the perfect start when João Neves opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing from Pedro Neto’s assist to put Roberto Martínez’s side ahead early.
The Europeans controlled much of the opening half, but DR Congo showed resilience and were rewarded in first-half stoppage time. Yoane Wissa rose to meet Arthur Masuaku’s delivery and headed home the equaliser, scoring a historic goal for the Leopards on their first World Cup appearance since 1974.
Portugal made several attacking changes after the break, introducing Francisco Conceição, Rafael Leão, Nélson Semedo and Gonçalo Ramos in search of a winner. DR Congo responded with substitutions of their own, bringing on Noah Sadiki, Charles Pickel and Simon Banza to preserve the result.
Despite dominating possession and pressing late on, Portugal were unable to find a breakthrough, while DR Congo’s disciplined defence stood firm to secure a valuable point from their opening Group K fixture.
The draw leaves both sides with one point ahead of their next matches, with Portugal set to face Uzbekistan and DR Congo taking on Colombia in the race for a place in the knockout stages.
