The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal concluded their match 1-1. While Portugal held 75% of the possession, DR Congo would actually hold the advantage in terms of shot.
DR Congo would outshoot Portugal eight to seven.
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For the Congolese, this draw would see them achieve both their first World Cup goal, alongside their first World Cup point.
Portugal would come out of the gates flying.
João Neves would get the Portuguese party started in the 6th minute following a Pedro Neto lofted pass into the box.
Neves would strike the pass home, giving Portugal an early 1-0 lead.
DR Congo however, looked to immediately respond.
Attempts on net in 11th and 14th minutes saw the Congolese searching for a quick equalizer.
However, both attempts would come up empty, keeping the Portuguese ahead 1-0.
Portugal remained in control for a majority of the half, finding several scoring opportunities.
But a stout and stubborn DR Congo defense held Portugal to just one-shot following Neves’ goal.
Near the end of the half, DR Congo pressed hard to find something offensively.
And the Congolese would not stop knocking, remaining on the doorstep for several minutes.
At the death of the first half, their persistence would be rewarded.
A sensational looping pass into the box by Arthur Masuaku saw Yoane Wissa climb the ladder to meet it head on.
Wissa would make use of a fantastic finish to score DR Congo’s first goal in World Cup history and bring the Congolese even.
And that’s where the score would stay as both sides retreated to their locker rooms for halftime.
The first bit of excitement in the second half came in the 55th minute where Portugal seemingly took the lead.
João Cancelo would deliver the ball onto net with a spectacular shot, but it would not stand.
The offsides flag quickly went up, keeping the game knotted at one.
Moments later the momentum completely flipped when DR Congo created an attacking opportunity.
Congolese forward Cédric Bakambu would see a shot from close range ricochet off the post and out of play.
But regardless of the outcome of the play, a somewhat controversial foul moments early would have nullified any goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo would see his first real opportunity of the second half in the 69th minute.
Ronaldo would fire a strike from close range wide of the net, squandering a golden Portuguese opportunity.
Ronaldo would receive another chance minutes later, however.
But with Congolese pressure, he could not direct it onto net, knocking it wide once again.
A Portuguese corner in the 77th would quickly turn into a DR Congo counterattack.
And with a golden opportunity to take the lead, Bakambu would make his attempt on net.
But he would launch the ball well over the bar, spoiling, arguably, their best chance of the second half.
Following Bakambu’s attempt, the remainder of the match would see just three more shots before the full-time whistle.
All three came courtesy of Portugal, but none would find the back of the net.
The full-time whistle signified the end of the match, seeing DR Congo stun Portugal in a draw.
Not too dissimilar to Cabo Verde and Spain’s 0-0 draw on Monday.
DR Congo and Portugal will both have their second matches of the group stage on Tuesday.
Portugal will look to secure all three points against Uzbekistan at 3 p.m.
And DR Congo will look to continue their surprisingly strong start, facing off against Colombia at 10 p.m.
Follow Adrian Murillo Silva on Instagram @adrianms_official
