During the highly anticipated World Cup match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, viewers were met with an unexpected graphic error that quickly became the talk of the broadcast. In the early moments of the game, the scoreboard displayed the flag of Morocco next to Portugal instead of the correct flag representing the DR Congo. This noticeable mistake did not go unnoticed, as fans watching the match were quick to point out the mishap. For nearly four minutes, the graphics showed a red flag featuring a green star, which belongs to Morocco, rather than the light blue flag with a yellow star and red stripe that symbolizes the DR Congo.
As the game progressed, it seemed that ZDF, the broadcaster, recognized the error. However, instead of correcting the graphic, they opted to completely remove the scoreboard from the screen at a crucial moment in the match. It was during this time that Portugal scored the first goal, with João Neves finding the net in the sixth minute, putting the favorites ahead 1-0 against the underdog. Despite the excitement surrounding the goal, the scoreboard remained absent, leaving viewers without an updated display of the match's status.
For Portugal, the World Cup kickoff went as planned, with an early lead setting the tone for the game. However, ZDF's broadcast began with a noticeable flaw that was particularly unfortunate, especially considering it was the DR Congo's first World Cup appearance in 52 years, having last participated in 1974 under the name Zaire. The irony of showcasing the wrong flag during such a significant comeback for the nation did not escape viewers.
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As reported by bild.de.
