Diogo Dalot insisted Cristiano Ronaldo remains central to Portugal’s plans at the World Cup, despite a long scoring drought. Ronaldo started and finished the 1-1 draw with DR Congo at Houston Stadium in Portugal’s Group K opener, yet failed to register a shot on target as Yoane Wissa cancelled out Joao Neves’s early goal.
The stalemate extended Ronaldo’s run to 10 straight World Cup or EURO matches without a goal for Portugal, the longest barren spell of the forward’s international career. Ronaldo attempted three efforts against DR Congo, all off target. The previous goal in a major tournament came against Ghana on matchday one of the 2022 World Cup.
Dalot explained that Portugal addressed the pressure around Cristiano Ronaldo before the squad
even arrived at the tournament, and said a clear strategy was in place for any outside noise. Dalot described the group as mentally ready for intense focus on the captain, who has drawn scrutiny for recent international displays and reduced scoring numbers.
Dalot said the leadership group expected Ronaldo’s form to draw debate and held a meeting to discuss scenarios. The defender stressed that results and performances would be judged harshly because of the squad’s talent and Ronaldo’s profile. Portugal’s players aimed to show unity if public reaction grew stronger after any game.
But Dalot defended the 41-year-old despite his recent struggles, saying: "It's very simple. In the locker room, at our stadium, we had the opportunity before arriving at the World Cup to have a detailed conversation about this. It was almost as if we'd anticipated that this would happen. Of course, when you have a squad like this, especially with a player like Cristiano, we have to be prepared, a little more than usual. The fact that we had that pre-World Cup conversation to prepare ourselves for these moments meant that when it actually happened, we were able to send the message that the group is unshakeablewe knew this was going to happen. We knew we'd face difficulties and criticism. Sometimes unfair, sometimes untrue, and often blown out of proportion. "
0 - Cristiano Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without scoring for Portugal (FIFA World Cup/EURO): 33 shots 11 on target 0 goals Drought. pic.twitter.com/PYQIHPgCkMOptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 17, 2026
Opta data underlined Ronaldo’s recent struggle in major tournaments. Across those 10 World Cup or EURO matches, Ronaldo has taken 33 shots and produced an expected goals value of 4.5, yet has not scored. When penalties are removed, the sequence grows to 13 games without a tournament goal, from 42 attempts totalling 4.5 non-penalty expected goals.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Games without goal (World Cup/EURO) | 10 |
| Total shots in those 10 games | 33 |
| Shots on target in those 10 games | 11 |
| Expected goals (xG) in those 10 games | 4.5 |
| Games without non-penalty goal | 13 |
| Non-penalty shots across 13 games | 42 |
| Non-penalty xG across 13 games | 4.5 |
Portugal now turn attention to Tuesday’s group match against Uzbekistan, who are making a first World Cup appearance and lost 3-1 to Colombia in their opening fixture. It will be the first meeting between the nations. Portugal are without a win in the last two World Cup games against Asian Football Confederation opponents.
However, Dalot expects Ronaldo to respond against Fabio Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan side as Portugal chase a first World Cup title. Everyone already knows how well Cristiano handles criticism. He has over 20 years of experience with the national team, Dalot added. I think what he conveys to the team, that confidence, those criticisms are just part of the game, especially given the level at which we're capable of playing, being in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, competitions in the world. The confidence he instils in us, and we in him, has always been the same and always will be. As long as he represents the national team, I think he'll always have that ability and will always be ready to play.
Portugal leave Houston with one point and questions about Ronaldo’s current output on the biggest stage, yet Dalot’s comments show the dressing room remains behind the captain. The next match with Uzbekistan will test both Portugal’s response to early pressure and Ronaldo’s search to end a rare scoreless phase.
