The French legend believes that Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s desire to score a goal inadvertently deprived Portugal of the decisive goal .

Speaking on Fox News after the game in Houston , Henry emphasized that the Al-Nassr superstar is prioritizing individual achievement over teamwork: “The important thing to remember is: The team needs to score goals, not you need to score goals.”

Henry used a specific attacking situation to illustrate his point, arguing that Ronaldo’s presence in certain areas of the pitch narrowed the space for his teammates to operate.

“As we see here, when Portugal controls the ball, Cancelo is preparing to receive a pass. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in this situation many times. If you make a run here, you force the opposing defender to decide to drop back and defend the 5.5-meter area, ” Henry explained in his tactical analysis.

He went on to argue that Ronaldo’s instinct to score goals himself led to a tactical mistake.

“But because he wanted to score, he moved right into Bruno Fernandes’s path. If he runs into the 5.5-meter area—you know that situation, I saw it too—the opposing defender will have to chase him, and then Bruno Fernandes will have an easy chance to tap the ball in from close range.”

But because he wanted to score, he moved right into the path of the back pass . The defender could then see both players, making defending much easier.”

Henry added about Fernandes’ reaction : “You could see Bruno’s frustrated reaction from behind: ‘Let the ball go, make a run, create space for me to tap it in.'”

In this match, Ronaldo failed to register a single shot on target, extending his goalless streak at the World Cup to five games. Conversely, this result secured the first historic point for the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup, as Yoane Wissa scored the equalizer after Joao Neves’s opening goal.

If readers want to learn more about the “European Selecao,” don’t miss the article ” Portugal’s World Cup 2026 Profile: Ronaldo’s Biggest Dream.”