Sebastien Desabre Just Out-Coached Roberto Martinez. Houston Saw It Live.
Roberto Martinez had Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch for ninety minutes, completed nearly four times as many passes as his opponent, and still walked away from Houston having to explain why his team never looked like winning. Portugal drew 1-1 with Congo DR at NRG Stadium in Houston on June 17, 2026, in their Group K opener at the 2026 World Cup, and the second half belonged so completely to the underdog that the scoreline almost undersells what happened.
Here is the direct answer. Joao Neves headed Portugal in front in the 6th minute from a Pedro Neto cross. Yoane Wissa equalized with a header in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, finishing off an Arthur Masuaku delivery. Neither side found a winner. Portugal sit on one point after their opener, level with Congo DR, while Colombia already lead Group K after two matches elsewhere on the same day.
Make no mistake, the only manager who improved his side’s level after halftime in this match was wearing the Congo DR badge.
Start with what Sebastien Desabre got right, because the logic behind it held up against a far more talented opponent. Setting up in a 5-3-2 to stay compact and break quickly was always going to invite criticism if it produced nothing, but Desabre’s team did not sit back passively. They generated 0.82 expected goals in the second half alone, with Cedric Bakambu rattling the post and forcing a save, and substitute introductions like Charles Pickel and Joris Kayembe kept the press fresh rather than letting fatigue creep in late. Desabre’s bench did exactly what a bench facing a stronger opponent is supposed to do. It kept the legs as sharp in the 80th minute as they were in the 50th.
The result is one specific number that should worry Martinez more than the draw itself. Portugal managed only 0.69 expected goals in the second half and registered a single shot on target across the full ninety minutes, an alarming return for a team built around Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva.
Here is the thing about Martinez’s setup. The decision to start Ronaldo, now the oldest outfield player ever to begin a World Cup match, carries real logic behind it. Six minutes in, that logic looked vindicated when Neves headed home from Neto’s cross. But the longer the match wore on, the more Portugal’s attack stalled around individual moments rather than collective pressure, and Ronaldo missed clear chances in the 68th and 74th minutes that a sharper version of this team converts.
The stat that follows Desabre into the Uzbekistan match is almost entirely positive, which is rare for a coach whose team conceded the lead. Congo DR scored their first World Cup goal in the country’s history and looked, in Lorenzo’s own commentary thread of the match, more likely to win it than Portugal did in the closing stages. That is not a moral victory. That is a result that should worry every team left in this group.
For Martinez, the challenge now has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with rhythm. Portugal still have Colombia waiting in a group that has been blown open, and a team completing 724 passes while managing one shot on target cannot keep relying on a six-minute window to produce results. Fixing the link between possession and danger is the job now, not finding more of the ball.
Martinez leaves Houston with a draw that flatters his team’s control of the contest and exposes its lack of teeth. Desabre leaves with proof his side can compete with one of the tournament’s traditional powers, point for point, for ninety minutes. Congo DR’s manager is building belief. Portugal’s manager has a finishing problem his front line has yet to answer.