The opening group match between Portugal and DR Congo ended in a 1-1 stalemate
Cristiano Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism after Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening match of the ongoing tri-nation World Cup.
The veteran forward endured a frustrating evening as Portugal failed to turn their dominance into victory during Wednesday night's clash at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Portugal controlled 75 per cent of possession and created several openings but managed only seven shots on target.
Their lone goal came in the sixth minute through Joao Neves. DR Congo responded before the break when Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa rose above his markers to head home a deserved equaliser.
Despite sustained pressure in the second half, neither Ronaldo nor his highly rated teammates could find a breakthrough against a disciplined Congolese defence.
The Al-Nassr striker came closest midway through the half when he was presented with two quick-fire opportunities, but neither resulted in a goal.
The draw denied Ronaldo a chance to become the first player to score in six different World Cups and sparked widespread debate among pundits and fans.
Among the most outspoken critics was former Arsenal and Premier League striker Thierry Henry, who questioned Ronaldo's decision-making during a key attacking move that he believed cost Portugal a clear scoring opportunity.
Speaking as a match analyst on Fox 26 Houston, Henry highlighted an incident in which Portugal launched an attack with both Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes positioned inside the penalty area awaiting a cross.
Ronaldo was stationed near the six-yard box, slightly ahead of Fernandes. As the move developed, the ball was cut back towards the unmarked Manchester United midfielder.
However, Ronaldo stepped into the path of the pass in an attempt to connect with it himself, and the resulting effort went wide near the post.
Henry argued that Ronaldo, as the more heavily marked player, should have continued his run into the six-yard area, dragging defenders with him and leaving Fernandes with a straightforward finish.
"One thing that's important... the team needs to score, not you need to score. But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes. If he goes into the six-yard box, you would have to follow him and then it would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes," he said.
Henry also pointed to Fernandes' reaction immediately after the chance went begging. "You saw the reaction of Bruno Fernandes, going like 'let it roll'," he added.
Before the match, former England captain Wayne Rooney had joked that his former Manchester United teammate would be "raging - but in a good way" after seeing some of football's biggest stars make strong starts to the tournament.
France captain Kylian Mbappe scored twice against Senegal to become his country's all-time leading scorer with 58 goals.
Norway striker Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with a brace against Iraq, while Lionel Messi went one better, scoring a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria to draw level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-leading scorer in World Cup finals history.
Ronaldo, who is closing in on 1,000 career goals for club and country, appeared determined to get on the scoresheet, but both chances created for him by substitute Francisco Conceicao failed to produce the breakthrough.
The debate over Henry's criticism quickly spread online. Some fans defended Ronaldo, arguing that when the cross was played slightly behind him, he could not have known Fernandes was better positioned and was therefore justified in attempting to reach the ball.
Others, however, sided with Henry. "Ronaldo has played football for more than 20 years, and for a large stretch of his career he was a GOAT tier player. He knew where Bruno was," one fan wrote.
Another added: "His positioning was selfish from the beginning. If he makes that run it opens up space for Bruno to run into and potentially get a wide open spot. You have to be aware of your teammate's position on the field to be a quality player."
The stalemate means Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive matches at major international tournaments without scoring.
