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As far as Portugal manager Roberto Martínez is concerned, I am sure he is saying: Houston, we have a problem.
But for DR Congo? Houston: this is a DREAM.
On Tuesday afternoon in Texas, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal kicked off its World Cup campaign with a 1-1 result against DR Congo and once again, an African side delivered an inspiring performance against an Iberian squad to record the biggest result in its history.
I think it’s obvious that Portugal needs to heavily improve and has so much to improve on. But it was yet another majestic performance from the early days of this tournament. DR Congo — just like Cape Verde’s draw against Spain — should be very, very proud.
Here are my takeaways:
1. It Won’t Happen, But Ronaldo Shouldn’t Start For Portugal
I am sure I will be getting a thousand messages from Ronaldo’s superfans, but here’s a statement I have made for a long time now. I think Portugal possesses so much more fluidity when the legendary captain comes off the bench.
Portugal, looking to win its first ever World Cup title, is a team of stars — led by a 41-year-old Ronaldo who has joined Lionel Messi as the only male player to feature in six World Cups. But Martínez knows that with this deep squad at his disposal, which includes Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, who’ll join José Mourinho’s Real Madrid next season, wants to go far.
I also want to state that this is nothing against Ronaldo, it’s more about Martínez’s philosophy and how he prefers an interchangeable attacking lineup and the 41-year-old striker essentially slows this down because he is such a target man. I know it will never happen. But I just think Portugal would be much stronger with some younger, more mobile attackers such as Gonçalo Ramos and Rafael Leão.
2. DR Congo Deserved The Result And Inspired A Nation
It was a celebration 52 years in the making as DR Congo was making its return to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it was Zaire.
There’s no doubt that the Central African team had heart and an intent to earn something against this talented Portuguese side. It gave away nearly 80% possession but for many moments, it decided to gamble and push forward with a more direct approach.
And then history. Having given up 15 goals at the World Cup stretching back to that 1974 tournament, Yoane Wissa forever etched his name into his country’s history with a first-half goal. At the start, Wissa was isolated, as was his teammate Cédric Bakambu, but then when a beautiful cross came in, Wissa took his chance. It was well executed by the Newcastle United man.
But throughout the action, the African side stood tall and held a resilient performance. There’s so much to be proud of from The Leopards.
3. Disjointed Portugal Needs More Cohesion
Portugal made the semifinals in 1966 and then again reached that feat 20 years ago, when the Seleção das Quinas (the Team of the Shields) finished the 2006 tournament in fourth place.
Its fallen short of that stage since then, most recently when it lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals in 2022 as the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first Arab and African nation to earn a final four spot.
I already mentioned the embarrassment of riches of this squad, but for a large majority of the action, Portugal, with and without Ronaldo, looked like a collection of individuals, playing next to each other, not for one another towards an objective.
The passing accuracy was there. In fact, it was statistically at 96%, which was its best ever since 1966 — but it came to nothing. Similar to Spain, it was passing for passing’s sake. It can’t act like that.
If Portugal wants to make at least the semifinals again, it needs to feel more like a team.
4. Colombia Can Take A Lot Of Inspiration From Today
If Colombia earns a win against Uzbekistan on Tuesday night, I think Nestor Lorenzo’s side can feel very confident that it can top the group and take something from Portugal in the final game, especially since the match will be played in Miami in front of what should be a pro-Colombia crowd.
But as we witnessed on Wednesday, DR Congo won’t be a pushover and Colombia can’t overlook this team when those two meet next week in Guadalajara. As for Portugal, the team will return to Houston and face Uzbekistan in what feels like a must-win scenario.
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