Over 100 Congolese faithful were on their feet for the national anthem at Aura Sports Grill downtown.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation as the match got underway. But for much of the first half, fans of the Leopards, as the Congolese team is known, didn't have much to cheer about. Portugal scored in the sixth minute, and dominated possession of the ball after that.
Then, moments before halftime, the Congo's Arthur Masuaka lofted a cross pass in front of the net, striker Yoane Wissa went up for a header, and scored the Leopards' first goal in World Cup history.
The crowd in Portland exploded with joyous cheering. In the mayhem, fans burst into spontaneous song and poured out onto the street.
"Ain't nothing like it, man. We haven't been in the World Cup for like 52 years, so this is amazing," said Daryl Masela, who was waving a Congolese flag on the street. "These guys thought they had us by scoring the first goal, but we're just showing them that it's only a matter of time."
"I wanted to be with my people," said Sam Kalau, who came down from Auburn for the watch party. "This is a representation of Congo in America, so that's what I'm here for."
As shocking as the goal was, Kalau said he could feel it coming, based on a dream he had a few nights before in which Congo won the match outright.
Dancing in the street, nearly everyone decked out head to toe in the blue, red and yellow of the Congolese flag, Kalau said he felt transported far from this corner of North America, where so many of his countrymen have put down roots.
"It just feels like I'm home right now, you know. Siblings out here, all of them families, uncles, grandpa, sisters, brothers," Kalau said. "All of them here at the same place, all together."
Event organizer Papy Bongibo said getting everyone together in the same place like this isn't as easy as it used to be.
"Some people really wanted to make it, but with the, you know, immigration situation, they cannot make it," he said.
The Congolese community has been one of the hardest hit in the state by President Donald Trump's mass deportation push.
According to the Deportation Data Project, ICE has arrested at least 53 Congolese residents in Maine since the beginning of Trump's second term. The actual number is likely higher, because the most recent data haven't been updated since March.
Against that backdrop, Bongibo said today is even more meaningful.
"Oh, it's a joy, regardless of the immigration thing," Bongibo said. "We are here, we love Maine, we love the United States, and we are here to stay."
Sitting at the bar, Audavia Milolo said the new reality of immigration enforcement wasn't going to stop her from cheering on her team.
"ICE can show up at any point," Milolo said, in French. "But we're here, we're dealing with it, that's life."
And today, life is soccer, and things are looking up.
At the final whistle, the Leopards have held Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the squad to a 1-1 draw.
For Clement Kalamba Moise, of Portland, that's as good as a win, and a moment of overwhelming pride in what it means to be Congolese, both on and off the pitch.
"We dress good, we know how to play soccer, we know how to do everything," he said, barely able to contain his excitement on the street outside the bar. "For me, we already win the World Cup. I'm good. We already win the World Cup."
DR Congo will next take the field on Tuesday against Colombia.
Maine Public Dowe Intern Dylan Burmeister contributed to this report.
