Neves heads home as Portugal get off to a flying start against DR Congo

Portugal needed just six minutes to take the lead in their own Opening of the 2026 World Cup as Joao Neves gave them an early lead against DR Congo.

The 2026 World Cup could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last, although he has expressed a desire to play at the 2030 tournament, and will be Roberto Martinez’s last as Portugal coach.

Martinez will be looking to go out on a high and will be delighted with the start his team made in Houston.

Portugal dominated possession early on and were rewarded when Neves rose to head Pedro Neto’s cross from the left over helpless DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.

In scoring at the age of 21 years and 263 words, Neves became Portugal’s third-youngest goalscorer at a World Cup, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder trailing only Ronaldo in 2006 (21 years, 132 days) and Gonzalo Ramos in 2022 (21 years, 169 days).