Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Congo on Wednesday in their opening match at the World Cup.

World Cup Upset

Congo, which was playing at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, became the second African nation to make a strong start in the tournament against European competition following Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain on Monday.

João Neves gave Portugal an early lead in the sixth minute. The 5-foot-7 midfielder headed in a cross from Pedro Neto. But Yoane Wissa equalized for Congo with a header in stoppage time at the end of the first half off a cross from Arthur Masuaku, delighting the small pockets of blue-clad fans.

Ronaldo missed shots wide right in the 68th and 73rd minutes. He shook his head in disgust after both. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez was asked if he considered taking out Ronaldo on Wednesday. “It makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals,” the coach said.

Bruno Fernandes had a chance to put Portugal ahead in the 90th minute but his shot also was wide right. Portugal looked to have taken the lead in the 55th minute on a bicycle kick by João Cancelo, but he was ruled offside.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.