Portugal was held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in a friendly on Monday in a disappointing start to its World Cup preparations.
Portugal had a tight defense and a fluid passing game but couldn't deliver in front of goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo had little impact despite playing 90 minutes. The Real Madrid forward, who didn't score during Portugal's qualifying campaign, had several chances but repeatedly shot wide.
"We're still at the beginning, we're still getting ready," Ronaldo said. "We're not going to take this draw too badly. By the time we get to South Africa we'll be better than this."
Cape Verde, a tiny country ranked 117th in the world, was the first of three African teams Portugal plans to face in exhibition matches ahead of its June 15 World Cup opener against Ivory Coast. It also meets Cameroon on June 1 and Mozambique June 8.
Coach Carlos Queiroz said he wasn't worried by his team's sluggish performance at its training camp in Portugal's central highlands.
"This was a training match. We've only been together a few days and you can't expect too much," he said. "But we showed the tactical discipline and awareness which I wanted to see."
Portugal also plays Brazil and North Korea in Group G in South Africa.
Lineups:
Portugal: Eduardo; Paulo Ferreira (Miguel 68), Ricardo Carvalho (Ricardo Costa 45), Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao; Pedro Mendes (Tiago 56), Miguel Veloso (Raul Meireles 45), Deco (Danny 56); Cristiano Ronaldo, Liedson (Hugo Almeida 45), Nani.
Cape Verde: Fock; Stopira, Varela, Ricardo, Nando; Marco Soares, Dario, Babanco (Heldon Ramos 58), Valter Borges; Lito, Dady.
