Portugal's toothless display leads to frustration as DR Congo earn creditable draw in opener

The reigning UEFA Nations League champions Portugal required less than six minutes to break the deadlock through the diminutive Joao Neves. He supplied a precise header from a fine Pedro Neto cross, notching his fourth goal in his last two competitive internationals.

That seemed to set the tone, but the Leopards produced a solid immediate response. Yoane Wissa saw an effort flash just wide before Cedric Bakambu had a shot blocked.

Adding Bruno Fernandes to two thirds of the Paris Saint-Germain midfield was always going to create chances for Portugal at the other end. The Manchester United man found a lovely pass to free Nuno Mendes, requiring a good save from Lionel Mpasi to keep the deficit at one.

Yet despite the impressive array of playmakers on show, Portugal struggled to create any more clear cut openings. DR Congo stuck admirably to their defensive strategy despite conceding the early goal.

That approach bore fruit just before half time. Wissa was left free in the box from a corner and headed beyond a defenceless Diogo Costa for his country's first ever World Cup goal. The African side had only 20% possession in the first period but deserved their equaliser.

After Portugal managed just two shots in the first half, Francisco Conceicao replaced Bernardo Silva at the break. He had the first chance of the second period, losing a battle of strength at the far post as he looked to connect with a cross from the left.

Joao Cancelo then appeared to restore Portugal's lead in acrobatic fashion, hooking a chested Neves pass beyond Mpasi, but the offside flag went straight up.

DR Congo still posed a threat themselves, and Bakambu gave Portugal a scare when he rattled the post, although the referee ultimately brought it back for a foul on Fernandes.

At the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo finally had his first sniff at goal, but could not adjust sufficiently to divert Conceicao's pass into the corner.

The game began to open up a little in the closing stages, but half chances for Bakambu and Cancelo at either end came to nothing, and the contest ended all square.

For the Leopards, this is already an improvement on their last World Cup appearance, when they conceded 14 goals without reply across three defeats.

This time around, they have given themselves every reason to be optimistic of progressing from Group K, with Uzbekistan and Colombia set to face off later in the other opening fixture.

Portugal will hope to quickly fix their surprisingly blunt looking attack, with Ronaldo made to wait for a goal at a sixth different edition of the World Cup.