PREVIEW: Portugal prepare to begin World Cup pursuit against DR Congo | OneFootball

Portugal open their World Cup campaign against DR Congo aiming to send their greatest ever player Cristiano Ronaldo off with a World Cup to his name on what’s likely to be his final attempt.

Looking to finally get over the line for the very first time, Portugal head into this World Cup as one of the outright favourites to lift the coveted trophy.

That will come as good news to Ronaldo, as the domineering figure of Portuguese football enters possibly his last ever international tournament with the country at the age of 41.

Widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, Cristiano is by far and away the countries all time top scorer but his selection has been called into question in recent years due to the presence he takes up on the pitch.

But with the prospect of facing his old rival Lionel Messi in the quarter-finals, Ronaldo will be more determined than ever to make his mark for the last time on the world stage.

Portugal’s route to qualifying was relatively straightforward if not for a few hiccups, they topped a group containing Ireland, Hungary and Armenia by winning four, drawing one and losing one of those games to head straight through.

They were convincingly beaten by Ireland in Dublin however, with Cristiano Ronaldo seeing red for the first time in his Portuguese career.

Portugal then warmed themselves up for the tournament by beating Chile and Nigeria 2-1 in their World Cup warm-up friendlies, and head into this tournament with a great combination of experience and young talent.

The Premier League’s Player of the Season and record holder for assists in a single season (21), Bruno Fernandes has had another fantastic season for Manchester United and will lead the midfield unit in behind Ronaldo.

Elsewhere they have a trio of PSG starlets in Vintinha, Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves all of whom have been excellent for the French side as they claimed a league and Champions League double this season.

Joao Neves in particular has been hugely impressive and will help make up what on-paper looks like the best midfield at this years World Cup.

Having booked their place in the 2026 World Cup via a 1-0 victory over Jamaica, the DR Congo have plenty of Premier League talent within their ranks and are aiming to add to the upsets already seen in this years tournament.

One of the lower ranked African sides in this tournament, the DR Congo are appearing at their first world cup as the DR Congo having only previously appeared as the former country Zaire where they became the first sub-Saharan nation to reach the finals.

They performed admirably in Zaire but their tournament was overshadowed by an incident during their defeat to Brazil.

When a free-kick was given to Brazil late in their third match, defender Mwepu Illunga darted from his wall and kicked the ball as hard as he could away before Rivellino could take it.

Initially perceived as an act of ”African innocence” by BBC commentator John Motson, it was later revealed to have been an act of protest against the nation’s dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

Congo finished second in their CAF group behind Senegal but ahead of Sudan, Togo, Mauritania and South Sudan, with their two defeats to Sudan and Senegal meaning they had to take the long way round to the World Cup.

The African side were then placed in a play-off against Cameroon which they squeezed past 1-0, then beating the overwhelming favourites Nigeria before overcoming Morocco on penalties following a 1-1 draw to set up a continental play-off.

Congo passed straight to the final due to their league position and faced-off against Jamaica at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, where a single goal from Axel Tuanzebe after-extra time was enough to separate the two sides.

Their head coach Sebastian Desabre also profits from calling up a good mix of talent from Europe’s top teams that can really make their mark during this tournament.

Defender Chancel Mbemba has been a stalwart for Lille this season and will hope to be Congo’s rock at the back alongside Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe and West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa has had a disappointing season at St. James’ Park but he will still be big for the African side if they want to make the most of their counter-attacking tendencies.

Veteran forward Cedric Bakambu will provide experience and know how in the final third that Congo could need at times and Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki has had a fantastic season for the Black Cats and will be a huge presence in the midfield.

Portugal begin their World Cup campaign against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday June 17th, with kick-off scheduled for 18:00 (BST).

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