Cristiano Ronaldo made history as the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match when he took the pitch against DR Congo. But it was far from a vintage performance to cap a historic night, as he struggled alongside his Portugal team. The added pressure of rivals performing just a day before him made Ronaldo’s blank stand out in even starker contrast. After one of Ronaldo’s worst-ever games at the World Cup resulted in Portugal dropping points, they were accused of making the opposition comfortable by a pundit.

Joao Neves gave Portugal an ideal start against DR Congo when he turned in an inch-perfect cross from Pedro Neto. But the African team dug in despite pressure from Portugal, and it paid off before half-time as Yoane Wissa scored the country’s first-ever goal at the World Cup. Despite a couple of chances for Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half, Portugal failed to find a goal as the game ended 1-1.

Heading into the game, Ronaldo’s arch-rival Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria as two of the modern greats, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, had match-winning braces in their respective games. It added a layer of scrutiny, and as Ronaldo faltered, it opened the floodgates for waves of criticism. Leading the charge on ESPN FC was Nedum Onuoha, who dissected Ronaldo’s performance.

“I can see why that was the case because for the most part he was playing as a lone striker against three centre-backs. It’s going to be one of those types of games for him. I think the hardest place to be receiving that ball is that center-piece,” former MLS star Nedum Onuoha revealed.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who transitioned to a striker in the latter phases of his career, occasionally lacks the elite movement of one against low blocks. Despite losing a yard of pace, his otherworldly finishing skills made up for it to allow him to thrive as a striker, but against DR Congo, the inability to make those sharp runs beyond the last line hurt his side.

“From a defensive perspective, when a team becomes one-dimensional, you get very, very comfortable defending against them, and I think that’s what DR Congo were able to do today, especially because Portugal were offering tons of possession but without that penetration,” Onuoha continued.

Portugal dominated the ball as they had 75% possession. But alarmingly, they were bland in front of the goal. With plenty of sideways passes, they struggled to break down DR Congo’s disciplined defense. They created only 0.65 xG from seven shots, with only one shot on target. In contrast, DR Congo had an xG of 0.87 from eight shots and looked the likelier of the two teams to grab a late winner. DR Congo’s back five closed down passing lanes and suffocated Portugal’s midfielders, who opted to pass it safe.

There was not a lack of trying, though. Ronaldo did drop deep to collect possession and managed to drag centre-backs, but his midfield, which had creative players like Bruno Fernandes, Joao Neves and Vitinha, struggled too. After long periods of stale possession, Portugal did have chances in the second half, but Ronaldo failed to convert them clinically.

It went down as a frustrating night for Portugal and Ronaldo as they failed to register a victory in their first game. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Ronaldo scored a legendary hat-trick against Spain to salvage a 3-3 draw in their first game. Eight years later, he ended up having one of his worst games, leading to more questions.

The Cristiano Ronaldo conundrum for Portugal

Heading into the tournament, there were plenty of questions over Ronaldo’s place in the starting XI. The 41-year-old was coming off the back of a sensational season for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. With 28 goals and two assists, he led them to a league title after seven years. Although his performances warranted a starting spot, his ability to perform on a stacked playing ground was in question.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent run at major tournaments added another concern. His scoreless performance on Wednesday saw him go 10 games in major competitions (FIFA World Cup/EURO) without scoring a goal. He had 33 shots, with 11 of them being on target, and none were able to find the back of the net. A similar dry spell for him at the 2022 World Cup saw the then manager Fernando Santos take a bold call.

Ronaldo was benched for the young Goncalo Ramos in the round of 16 against Switzerland, and the striker responded by scoring a sensational hat-trick as they routed the Swiss 6-1. He kept his place ahead of Ronaldo in the lineup but was ineffective as Portugal crashed out in the quarters against the high-flying Morocco.

The current manager, Roberto Martinez, restored Ronaldo to the starting lineup at the 2024 Euros, but the legendary former Real Madrid forward failed to score once as their campaign again ended in the quarters against France. Martinez retained his faith in Ronaldo once again. He was even quizzed about his decision not to substitute Ronaldo as he continued to struggle against DR Congo.

“It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in football out in a game that you need goals,” he added in the post-game press conference.

With 973 career goals, Ronaldo is undoubtedly the greatest goal scorer of all time. He scored 143 times for Portugal and will be raring to break his duck and fulfill his dream of winning the World Cup. But with performances dwindling, he will be his biggest critic if he believes he is holding the team back.

In the same presser, Martinez also confirmed there will be changes in the next match. From wingers like Rafael Leao to Francisco Conceicao, the bench has enough talent, including Ramos himself. Martinez now faces the tough question of how to alter his lineup to answer the creativity problem and also keep Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup. Portugal will now face Uzbekistan in the second matchday on June 23 at Houston Stadium. Another slip will prove to be costly for their knockout aspirations.