Ngal’ayel Mukau’s comments about Cristiano Ronaldo have gone viral after DR Congo and Portugal played out a 1-1 draw at the World Cup on Wednesday afternoon.

Ronaldo, now 41 years old, was named in Seleção das Quinas’ starting XI for their match against the African nation at Houston Stadium in Texas.

Portugal went into the match as huge favourites and it didn’t take them long to take the lead as Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves headed home in the sixth minute.

Despite having the lion’s share of possession for the remainder of the first half, Portugal were unable to add to their lead and DR Congo made them pay when Yoane Wissa restored parity on the stroke of half-time.

Neither side could find a winner in the second half as the the spoils were shared.

DR Congo Star Gives Honest Take on Cristiano Ronaldo After Match

Cristiano Ronaldo via REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Ronaldo would have been hoping to get off to a flying start at the 2026 World Cup. However, despite playing the full 90 minutes, he was unable to make an impact.

In fact, he received a Sofascore rating of just 6.1/10 after a highly frustrating night that saw him take three shots but record none on target.

Lille midfielder Mukau was asked about Ronaldo in his post-match interview. A reporter quizzed him on whether DR Congo had worked on a ‘special plan’ to contain the 41-year-old. Mukau replied:

“Still, one of the greatest to ever play the game, much respect to him!”

Thierry Henry Questions Cristiano Ronaldo After Portugal 1-1 DR Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo via REUTERS/Phil Noble

Thierry Henry sent a message to Ronaldo following his performance against DR Congo. The Frenchman, who was covering the game as a pundit for Fox, said following the draw:

“One thing that’s important, people, please at home, the team needs to score. Not you needs to score…

“Because he [Ronaldo] wants to score, he goes in the path of the back pass, you see both players, and it’s easier for you to defend. And that’s my thing: the team needs to score. Not you.”

Ronaldo addressed his performance and the result on social media after the match. He wrote: “It wasn’t the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.”

Portugal and Ronaldo are next in action on Tuesday, June 23, when they take on Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium.

A clip of Wayne Rooney’s analysis of Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance during Portugal’s 2026 World Cup opening match against DR Congo has caused a stir on social media.

Portugal were expected to breeze past DR Congo, who were given a 0.09% chance of winning this summer’s tournament by Opta’s Supercomputer, but Roberto Martinez’s side were left frustrated by their unfancied opponents at the Houston Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves put Portugal 1-0 up in the 6th minute with a fine header, only for Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa to equalise on the stoke of half-time.

Ronaldo, who turned 41 in February, played the full 90 minutes but struggled to make an impact.

He spurned a couple of chances to score and has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without netting for Portugal.

Rooney’s Analysis of Ronaldo’s Performance

Cristiano Ronaldo via REUTERS/Phil Noble

Rooney joked that his former Manchester United teammate will “have been raging” after watching his long-term rival Lionel Messi score a hat-trick for Argentina in his first appearance of the 2026 World Cup.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner equalised Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 World Cup goals in the process.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in France’s opening match, and Erling Haaland also netted a brace for Norway.

While Ronaldo has received heavy criticism for his underwhelming performance against DR Congo, Rooney jumped to the veteran forward’s defence with his half-time analysis.

Rooney highlighted how Ronaldo’s mere presence posed problems for DR Congo’s defence and helped to contribute towards Portugal’s goal.

“What Ronaldo’s doing is he’s taking that option away from defenders,” Rooney explained. “He’s standing behind them, then they’re looking over their shoulders, like ‘where is he?’, then they drop and then it creates a lot of space in front of the back four – it’s really clever.” Watch the clip below:

Rooney’s analysis has split opinion. Some football fans expressed their disbelief, with one commenting on X (Twitter): “Yeah, Wayne Rooney probably doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Another said: “I nearly volleyed my tele listening to this,” while a third added:

A fourth fan said: “Who is he kidding? Ronaldo was a joke.”

However, others felt that Rooney made a salient point. One person commented: “Someone needs to state facts while the clowns are pushing their agendas, glad it’s Wazza!”

Another wrote: “Because Rooney understands football, unlike 99.99% of football fans,” while someone else commented:

Ronaldo will be desperate to silence his critics when Portugal face Uzbekistan in their second Group K match on June 23. Their final group stage match is against Colombia four days later.

Thomas Tuchel has called on FIFA to implement an immediate change following England’s 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday night.

The Three Lions began their 2026 World Cup campaign in impressive fashion at the Dallas Stadium in Texas.

Harry Kane gave England the lead in the 12th minute from the penalty spot. Martin Baturina equalised with a stunning strike 10 minutes before half-time before Kane netted his second of the match.

Tuchel’s men were dealt a blow moments before the interval when Petar Musa made it 2-2, much to the frustration of England’s coaching staff.

“A complicated and confusing first half from us, really,” England assistant coach Anthony Barry said during a frank half-time interview with ITV. “I think a lot of nervous energy early on. Maybe that should be accepted, and maybe expected in the opening game of a World Cup.

“From there, then we made some decisions where the energy was not free in our mind, playing long when we should play short, playing short when we should play long, really not playing through the gaps so not allowing us to accelerate our game the way we wanted to.

“Then you think the penalty would free us up, allow us to play more like us, look more like ourselves, but again we fall back into some fearful patterns, and yeah… we’ve always been able to rely on set pieces.

“We get the second goal again. We’re hoping that’s the moment that would allow us to move forward in the game, but okay, we concede the second goal later on, and now we have to speak about that at half-time.”

England Produce Excellent Second-Half Display

Kai Pfaffenbach via Reuters

Whatever Tuchel and his coaching staff said during the break clearly had the desired effect. England were the superior side in the second half and won the game thanks to excellent goals from Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford.

“I thought it was a game of two halves. In the first half, we were OK,” Harry Kane told ITV after the match. “[We were] really disappointed to concede in the way we did. I thought we dropped off.

“We went full gas and they couldn’t live with it. Credit to everyone for the first game of the tournament.”

Tuchel Calls on FIFA to Implement Change

Kai Pfaffenbach via Reuters

While Tuchel was pleased with his side’s second-half display, he was far less happy with a pre-match incident involving the photographers.

The German tactician said his experience was “ruined a little bit” by a wall of photographers who obstructed his view of the national anthems and has called on world football’s governing body to sort the situation out for next time.

“I have to tell you something. I’m begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team,” Tuchel was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

The England boss added: “It is very emotional. Listen, when I was young, and even when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of, to have this kind of a career.

“I felt the spirit, and what it means to be part of a World Cup. It’s just amazing, and I felt very, very alive the last two days. I didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than here.”

Tuchel has not sung God Save The King – England’s national anthem – since he was appointed England manager in January 2025.

He initially said that he must “earn the right” to sing it, but has hinted that he will do so if England reach the 2026 World Cup final on July 19.