Portugal was held to a disappointing draw by an impressive DR Congo side in their opening game of the World Cup.
Midfielder Joao Neves headed them into a sixth-minute lead, but Roberto Martinez’s side failed to convert their dominance of possession into attempts on goal.
And they were punished in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time when Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa was left unmarked to meet Arthur Masuaku’s cross from six yards to head home DR Congo’s first World Cup goal.
In their only previous appearance in 1974, the nation – then known as Zaire – lost all three matches by an aggregate score of 14-0.
But DR Congo, ranked 46th in the world, appear a much tougher proposition for opponents 52 years on and were good value for their point – defending well and threatening on the counter-attack.
Cedric Bakambu hit the post with a close-range shot, although it might not have counted had he scored as the referee blew up for an earlier foul, and fired another effort wide.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo matched Argentina’s Lionel Messi by playing in a sixth finals, but the 41-year-old was made to wait as he bids to become the first player to score in six different World Cups.
The Al-Nassr striker’s two best chances came in quick succession midway through the second half when he twice got on the end of low cut-backs by substitute Francisco Conceicao, but shot just wide on both occasions.
For all their talent, they were Portugal’s third and fourth shots of the match respectively, with their only attempt on target in the entire match being Neves’ headed finish from Pedro Neto’s left-wing cross.
Before Portugal kicked off, ex-England captain Wayne Rooney joked on BBC One that his former Manchester United team-mate Ronaldo would be “raging – but in a good way” that other stars had begun the tournament so well.
But DR Congo’s excellent five-man defence stifled the forward and his team-mates for long spells, with Portugal struggling to create clear-cut opportunities and failing to make the most of their 75% possession.
Having become the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match at the age of 41 years and 132 days, many expected Ronaldo to break new ground at the tournament, but it was Wissa instead who produced the game’s historic moment.
He scored just three times in 28 appearances during an injury-affected first campaign with Newcastle following his £55m move from Brentford – his last coming in January in the Champions League tie with PSV Eindhoven.
But Wissa showed his quality, taking his goal extremely well by rising high to head into the net past Diogo Costa, having been awarded far too much space in the box by Portugal’s defence.
What’s next for these teams?
Portugal face World Cup debutants Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday, 23 June (18:00 BST).
Meanwhile, DR Congo head to Mexico for their next Group K game against Colombia in Guadalajara on 24 June (03:00 BST).
