MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group K · Wednesday, June 17 · Houston Stadium, Houston · 68,777 in the stands

kickoff 12:00 local · 26°C · 86% humidity · roofed stadium

Portugal

6′ JOAO NEVES (pen)

1:1

Congo DR

45+5′ Yoane WISSA (pen)

tap a player for their match file

Portugal4-2-3-1
Congo DR5-3-2
DIOGO COSTA6.2TOMAS ARAUJO6.7RENATO VEIGA6.5JOAO CANCELO6.2NUNO MENDES6.1BRUNO FERNANDES6.7BERNARDO SILVA6.1JOAO NEVES8.1VITINHA6.6CRISTIANO RONALDO6.6PEDRO NETO7.1Lionel MPASI6.0Aaron WAN-BISSAKA6.7Steve KAPUADI6.8Axel TUANZEBE6.7Chancel MBEMBA6.6Arthur MASUAKU7.1Ngalayel MUKAU6.6Samuel MOUTOUSSAMY6.3Edo KAYEMBE6.8Cedric BAKAMBU6.6Yoane WISSA7.2
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′PORCOD

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 6′J. Neves0.05 xG
  • 45+5′Wissa0.39 xG
POR 0:0 COD0'kickoff
6' J. Neves — xG 0.05 · Goal11' Wissa — xG 0.02 · Missed14' Bakambu — xG 0.04 · Blocked33' Kayembe — xG 0.03 · Saved39' Fernandes — xG 0.03 · Blocked45 + 1' Moutoussamy — xG 0.03 · Blocked45 + 3' Moutoussamy — xG 0.04 · Blocked45 + 5' Wissa — xG 0.39 · Goal63' Kapuadi — xG 0.19 · Missed68' Ronaldo — xG 0.24 · Missed74' Ronaldo — xG 0.18 · Missed77' Bakambu — xG 0.13 · Missed78' Conceição — xG 0.07 · Blocked90' Fernandes — xG 0.04 · Missed90 + 2' Ronaldo — xG 0.04 · Missed

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

POR 0:0 COD
0.50′15′30′45′60′75′90′6' J. Neves — GOAL45 + 5' Wissa — GOAL0.650.87

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

POR 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← COD 5-3-2 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

1DIOGO COSTADIOGO COSTA4TOMAS ARAUJOTOMAS ARAUJO13RENATO VEIGARENATO VEIGA20JOAO CANCELOJOAO CANCELO25NUNO MENDESNUNO MENDES8BRUNO FERNANDESBRUNO FERNANDES10BERNARDO SILVABERNARDO SILVA15JOAO NEVESJOAO NEVES23VITINHAVITINHA7CRISTIANO RONALDOCRISTIANO RONALDO18PEDRO NETOPEDRO NETO1Lionel MPASILionel MPASI2Aaron WAN-BISSAKAAaron WAN-BISSAKA3Steve KAPUADISteve KAPUADI4Axel TUANZEBEAxel TUANZEBE22Chancel MBEMBAChancel MBEMBA26Arthur MASUAKUArthur MASUAKU6Ngalayel MUKAUNgalayel MUKAU8Samuel MOUTOUSSAMYSamuel MOUTOUSSAMY25Edo KAYEMBEEdo KAYEMBE17Cedric BAKAMBUCedric BAKAMBU20Yoane WISSAYoane WISSA

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

69%
Possession
25%
0.57
Expected goals
0.54
72
Threat
28
7
Shots
8
1
On target
2
740
Passes completed
214
29
Forced turnovers
42
11.0s
Ball recovery time
33.5s
4.27
High-press phases
3.76
9
Fouls committed
9
3
Offsides
2
110 km
Distance covered
112 km
34.8 km/h
Top speed
33.4 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Portugal attack →, ← Congo DR attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 6′JOAO NEVES (Portugal) scores!!
  2. 13′BERNARDO SILVA (Portugal) is booked by the referee.
  3. 32′Chancel MBEMBA (Congo DR) is booked by the referee.
  4. 45+5′Yoane WISSA (Congo DR) scores!!
  5. ′Before the second half begins FRANCISCO CONCEICAO (in) comes off the bench to replace BERNARDO SILVA (out) (Portugal)
  6. 57′Noah SADIKI (in) comes off the bench to replace Ngalayel MUKAU (out) (Congo DR)
  7. 72′RAFAEL LEAO (in) comes off the bench to replace PEDRO NETO (out) (Portugal)
  8. 72′NELSON SEMEDO (in) comes off the bench to replace NUNO MENDES (out) (Portugal)
  9. 74′Charles PICKEL (in) comes off the bench to replace Edo KAYEMBE (out) (Congo DR)
  10. 74′Joris KAYEMBE (in) comes off the bench to replace Arthur MASUAKU (out) (Congo DR)
  11. 83′GONCALO RAMOS (in) comes off the bench to replace VITINHA (out) (Portugal)
  12. 85′Gedeon KALULU (in) comes off the bench to replace Aaron WAN-BISSAKA (out) (Congo DR)
  13. 85′Simon BANZA (in) comes off the bench to replace Cedric BAKAMBU (out) (Congo DR)
  14. 88′NELSON SEMEDO (Portugal) is booked by the referee.
  15. 90+2′TOMAS ARAUJO (Portugal) is booked by the referee.

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Portugal's Possession Proves Hollow in Houston

Portugal commanded the pitch from kickoff, suffocating Congo DR's 5-3-2 with 69 per cent possession. João Neves (8.1) dictated rhythm from midfield whilst Pedro Neto (7.1) probed on the flank. An early goal in the sixth minute seemed decisive. Yet the underlying profile suggested vulnerability. Congo DR recovered possession after 33.5 seconds on average; Portugal after 11. That gulf revealed a team content to absorb, waiting for opportunity. Just before half-time, they struck. One chance taken proved sufficient to deny Portugal victory.

The equaliser arrived from 0.39 expected goals at 45+5 minutes, substantially crisper than anything Portugal had fashioned beforehand. By the 68th and 74th minutes, two opportunities worth 0.24 and 0.18 xG had vanished unmissed. Congo DR's Wissa and Masuaku (7.2, 7.1 ratings) executed their defensive brief with discipline; their own 0.19 xG miss at 63 minutes proved inconsequential. The arithmetic was ruthless: seven Portuguese shots yielded one on target. Congo DR took eight and found the net with the one that mattered most.

Portugal's 11-second ball recovery to Congo DR's 33.5 seconds—a 22.5-second gulf that epitomised who controlled the game but not the scoreline.

74′

Portugal's second wasted big chance (0.18 xG): possession without precision becomes its own defeat.

What Portugal needed

Controlled the match entirely but squandered two big chances that would have won it.

  • Wasted 0.24 and 0.18 xG in the 68th and 74th minutes—elite possession demands elite finishing.
  • Only 1 on-target shot from 7 attempts despite 69% possession; Congo DR's 5-3-2 proved stout.
  • João Neves (8.1) shone tactically but lacked finishing support to translate dominance into points.

What Congo DR needed

Defensive discipline plus one clinical finish extracted a point from overwhelmingly dominant Portugal.

  • The 5-3-2 shape stifled Portugal's rhythm: only 1 on-target shot despite 69% possession conceded.
  • Converted 0.39 xG equaliser where Portugal squandered 0.24 and 0.18 xG—clinical execution at decisive moments.
  • 33.5-second ball recovery versus Portugal's 11 seconds; defensive patience neutralised the host nation's tempo.