Ronaldo’s only goal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup came against Ghana – off a penalty – and then he went goal-less against Uruguay, South Korea, Switzerland and Morocco in the next four matches in the tournament. Coming back to Wednesday night’s game vs Congo, Ronaldo had 25 touches, 3 shots on target and 1 duel won – the second-least amount of touches that the Al Nassr striker has ever had in a World Cup.
Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to ever start a World Cup match at the age of 41 and played the full 90 minutes for Portugal failed to make any impact with any of his three strikes on goal. Cameroon legend Roger Milla is the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup match, coming on as a substitute at 42-year-old during the 1994 World Cup.
“Nothing was missing, football is like this. Portugal could have won, but they could also have lost,” Ronaldo told Sport TV Portugal after the match.
The Portugal striker, who has scored 8 goals in his FIFA World Cup career, also recorded zero shots on target for just the second time in his career in World Cup matches after turning out for 90 minutes. It was his 23rd career World Cup game – tied for 4th most in competition history.
Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without scoring for Portugal (FIFA World Cup and Euros). He’s taken 33 shots, with 11 going on target.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who made the controversial call of selecting the star for the World Cup, was asked if he considered taking Ronaldo off on Wednesday.
“It makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals. The experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important,” Martinez was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
DR Congo notch up first points after 52 years
Meanwhile, Portugal’s African opponents DR Congo notched up their first points in World Cup after their first appearance more than 52 years back. They had played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup as Zaire and lost all three of their matches to Scotland, Yugoslavia and Brazil after conceding 14 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will now look to bounce back from the opening-day stalemate as they take on Uzbekistan on Tuesday at the same venue before facing Colombia in their last Group K clash on June 28 in Miami.