Portugal were held by DR Congo in their opening Group K match despite taking an early lead through Joao Neves, with Yoane Wissa’s equaliser earning the African side a historic point. Ronaldo, making a record sixth World Cup appearance at the age of 41, failed to find the net as Portugal dropped points in Houston.
Speaking on Fox Sports after the match, former Arsenal and France striker Henry highlighted a key second-half moment involving Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, arguing that the Portugal captain’s movement prevented a better goalscoring opportunity from developing.
“One thing that’s important, people, please at home: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said.
Analysing the passage of play, Henry added: “If you make that run there, you force the defender to make a decision. But because he wants to score, he goes in Bruno Fernandes’ path.”
“If he went to that small area, the defender would have to follow him, and then it would be an easy goal for Bruno Fernandes. But because he wants to score, he crosses the path of the back pass and it becomes easier for the defence to intercept.”
Henry also pointed to Fernandes’ visible frustration during the move.
“And that’s my point: the team needs to score, not you. Did you see Bruno Fernandes’ reaction back there, like: ‘let the ball roll, make the run, create space so I can just tap it in’. It didn’t happen.”
The criticism came after another frustrating outing for Ronaldo, who struggled to make a decisive impact against a disciplined DR Congo side. Portugal dominated possession but created few clear opportunities after their early breakthrough and were unable to find a winner.
The draw has intensified scrutiny over Ronaldo’s role in the Portugal team, with the veteran striker now enduring a lengthy goalscoring drought in major international tournaments. Questions have also emerged about whether Roberto Martinez should continue building his attack around the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star.
Portugal will look to bounce back in their next Group K fixture against Uzbekistan, while DR Congo head into their clash with Colombia buoyed by a result that secured the country’s first-ever World Cup point.
