Congo DR draw 1–1 with Portugal as Ronaldo camp fractures

DR Congo hold Portugal 1–1 in World Cup opener

Congo DR walked into their first World Cup in decades and walked out with a point. Portugal 1–1 DR Congo in Group K on Wednesday, and your team did not look out of place against Cristiano Ronaldo and company (1) (3) (10).

The Congolese equaliser rattled Portugal badly. "After the goal against DR Congo we lost discipline," a Portuguese source admitted afterwards (9). That is not a line you hear from a European heavyweight every day.

Portugal in turmoil after the draw

The fallout from this result has been messy inside the Portuguese camp. João Neves had to publicly deny rumours that he criticised Rúben Dias: "This is not true. Rúben Dias is one of the players I respect most in the dressing room. Anyone who knows me knows I would never have that attitude. What is being said are lies" (4) (8).

Neves' girlfriend Madalena Aragão went after Cristiano Ronaldo on social media (2). Then Ronaldo's sister Elma Aveiro fired back at critics, calling them "ungrateful ignorants" (7).

Rúben Dias snaps at Portuguese media

Rúben Dias has had enough. The Portugal defender tore into the press over a story about players visiting the beach after the DR Congo match. "It should never have been a topic. A large part of it being a topic is your fault," Dias told reporters. "It is also your duty to communicate things correctly, not just write an appealing text and create bad energy that does not exist" (8).

Dias added that manager Roberto Martínez had no problem with the beach trip. "I take my hat off to him, because it was beneficial for us" (8).

Dutch columnist: Ronaldo looked like a dying rabbit

The performance against your team has drawn sharp criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo. Dutch writer Nico Dijkshoorn watched the full match back and did not hold back: "I rewatched the entire match against Congo DR, and it is abundantly clear, he is treated like the rich boss's son" (5). Dijkshoorn added that no one wanted to pass Ronaldo the ball (5).

Colombia up next

Your team now sits on one point in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, all level before matchday one. The second group fixture is against Colombia, and after this result, no one in the group will be taking Congo DR lightly.