Congo made a memorable return to the World Cup as they held Portugal for a 1-1 draw in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener at the Huston Stadium on Thursday.
Newcastle United forward's Yoane Wissa second-half header cancelled Joao Neves' sixth minute goal as the African nation, playing at the World Cup finals for the first time in 52 years, came from behind to draw the match and earned a point.
Ahead of the game the spotlight was on veteran Cristiano Ronaldo who was playing in his sixth World Cup. The forward also created history as at the age of 41 years and 132 days he became the oldest outfield player to start a match in the FIFA World Cup. However Ronaldo had little impact in the game as he recorded no shots on target, did not create any chances and had zero dribbles completed. In the entire 90 minutes he had just 25 touches of football.
Later in the day, Colombia faced Uzbekistan at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
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Making their first World Cup appearance since 2018, the South Americans marked their return in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 3-1 victory over the tournament debutants. Colombia's attacking display ensured a winning start to their campaign.
Daniel Munoz, Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz scored the goals for Colombia as they overcame a spirited fight shown by Uzbekistan. Abbosbek Fayzullaev etched his name in the record books as he became Uzbekistan's first-ever goal-scorer at the World Cups when he slotted the back in the back of the net after Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas' failed attempt to shot a stop from Eldor Shomurodov.
The results of the two games mean that Colombia have topped the group. Congo and Portugal have a point each while Uzbekistan are fourth.
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