The match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo will go down as one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Portugal, ranked 5th in the FIFA rankings, dominated the game with an overwhelming possession of over 60% and nearly 800 passes throughout the game, but suffered the humiliation of a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked 46th, due to only an ineffective possession. The Democratic Republic of Congo, who entered the finals for the first time in 52 years, showed strong organizational strength despite the scars of decades of civil war, and boosted national pride with Yoan Wisa's historic equalizer. The reason Congolese figures, such as broadcaster Jonathan, and fans were enthusiastic about their country's fighting spirit was because it was more than just a soccer game, it was a touching narrative in which the long wait of 52 years came to fruition.

On the other hand, for Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, this match became a record he would like to forget. Despite being on par with Lionel Messi by making his sixth World Cup appearance, Ronaldo suffered from a slump in which he was unable to record a single effective shot while playing full-time. Ronaldo's silence, in stark contrast to Messi, who led the team to victory by scoring a hat trick the day before, proves how rigid Portugal's attacking tactics were. Portugal, who had predicted an easy victory thanks to Joao Neves' early goal, was swayed by Congo's hand-to-hand defense and counterattack, and was in a burdensome situation as they were left behind in the second game without being able to collect three points.

Another Group K match between Colombia and Uzbekistan was an interesting match between the expertise of South American soccer and the spirit of an emerging Asian powerhouse. Bayern Munich's Luis Dias led the team to a 3-1 victory with a one-man show of 1 goal and 1 assist, clearly proving why he is called a world-class striker. Uzbekistan, led by Italian defensive legend Fabio Cannavaro, played practical soccer based on a 5-back defense, but was unable to stop Colombia's spear and suffered a defeat. Nevertheless, the first goal in World Cup history, scored by Uzbekistan's Avosbek Faizulaev, was a hopeful sight that showed that Asian soccer is sufficiently competitive on the world stage.

At the end of the first round of the group stage, the nine countries in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) received a total of 2 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses. South Korea and Australia got off to a good start with wins, but the rest of the countries either drew or lost against powerful teams, showing the high bar in world soccer. In particular, Uzbekistan's Husanov generation must have keenly felt their lack of experience on the international stage through this defeat, which will become an essential foundation for Asian soccer to leap to greater heights in the future. With the exception of Korea Republic, who achieved a come-from-behind victory in the first game of the group stage, most teams competed fiercely, so it is expected that even more unpredictable matches will continue from the second game.