Wednesday evening and early Thursday brought several group stage openers, headlined by Portugal's Group K campaign in Houston, Texas, and Austria's Group J debut against Jordan.
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Group K, Houston)
Reigning UEFA Nations League winners Portugal, one of the World Cup favourites, opened their Group K campaign against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal took to the pitch in what looked on paper like an easy fixture to get their World Cup run off to a strong start, but the match proved anything but as the European powerhouse failed to convert key chances and appeared fatigued in typical Texan humid and warm conditions.
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a forgettable performance in the first match of his sixth World Cup. After Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland all scored in their opening matches, the 41-year-old Ronaldo could not find the net in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo. With players like Vinícius Júnior, Viktor Gyökeres, and Harry Kane also scoring early in this year's tournament, Ronaldo being held scoreless stands out even more.
Ronaldo, who matches Messi in a record sixth World Cup appearance, failed to become the first player to score in six different tournaments in his nation's opening fixture against DR Congo. He did join Messi as the only players to appear in six World Cups, but a day after the Argentina captain had a hat trick, Ronaldo missed chances to become the first player to score in a sixth tournament. His shots in the 68th and 73rd minutes went wide right, and he did not look happy after either of them.
Ronaldo did not speak to reporters after the game but posted about the match on X.
It wasn't the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez was asked if he considered taking out Ronaldo on Wednesday.
It makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals. The experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important.
PSG midfielder Joao Neves opened the scoring early for Portugal, bagging a sweetly placed top right corner header in the 6th minute of the match. Portugal continued to look threatening every time they moved the ball forward but ultimately failed to convert their chances and extend their lead. Throughout the game, they maintained 75% possession of the ball and produced nine shots.
In an almost exact replica of Neves' goal, Congo leveled the score through a header of their own off a cross into the box, late into the first half's stoppage time. Both teams failed to score in the second half despite coming close on several chances, and the match finished 1-1.
Austria 3-1 Jordan (Group J)
Austria cruised comfortably past Jordan in its Group J World Cup opening match, beating their competition three goals to one.
Romano Schmidt opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the game with a top right corner curling finish from just outside the box. Das Team held its slim lead for the remainder of the half, but it was quickly ended shortly after play resumed.
Jordan's Ali Olwan pulled one back for his side after cutting through defenders and firing a shot towards the far right post, beating keeper Alexander Schlager in the 50th minute.
An unfortunate deflection in Jordan's box off defender Yazan al-Arab in the 76th minute gifted the lead back to Austria, giving the European nation the breakthrough needed after the game shifted tactically for Jordan.
A late penalty awarded to Austria in the 102nd minute due to a handball sealed the deal, as Marko Arnautovic placed the ball in the bottom left corner to secure a 3-1 win for his team.
