England v Croatia; Ghana v Panama, Uzbekistan v Colombia results, Portugal v DR Congo; games, standings, stats, schedule, players, teams

Houston: Portugal and its talisman Cristiano Ronaldo were left disappointed after the Democratic Republic of Congo struggled to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday in the African nation’s return to the World Cup stage after 52 years.

It looked set to be a long afternoon for DR Congo as Portugal took the lead inside six minutes when Pedro Neto crossed past Joao Neves to head home from 15 yards.

It gave one of the pre-tournament favorites an excellent start, but ended up being the only goal-scoring effort in the game.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez admitted that his team felt the pressure of not making enough opportunities and keeping the ball in areas that allowed the DR Congo to adapt as they tried to win the tournament.