Ronaldo Touches Ball 25 Times in Portugal's 1-1 World Cup Draw

Cristiano Ronaldo recorded 25 touches during Portugal's 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday at the World Cup in Houston. The 41-year-old forward was a peripheral figure up front and did not seriously threaten to score. He twice stabbed shots wide after receiving passes from Francisco Conceicao and took a cut-back pass intended for Bruno Fernandes.

Portugal entered the match ranked fifth in the world while the Democratic Republic of Congo was ranked 46th and making its first World Cup appearance since 1974. The draw left Portugal searching for a winner in the closing stages. Martinez said keeping Ronaldo on the pitch made sense when goals were needed. He added that the forward's experience in the box remained important.

France striker Thierry Henry said on Fox that the team needed to score rather than Ronaldo needing to score. Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC that the decision to remove midfielder Vitinha instead of Ronaldo in the 83rd minute was embarrassing.

Opposition midfielder Ngal'ayel Mukau said the Democratic Republic of Congo did not have a specific plan to contain Ronaldo and noted he could no longer exert the same effort as before. Portugal next faces World Cup debutants Uzbekistan.