In the Portugal vs Uzbekistan clash on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory in their Group K match in Houston.
The 41-year-old forward made history by becoming the first player to score in six World Cups. After the final whistle, a visibly emotional Ronaldo shouted, “I’m back, I’m back,” into television cameras following criticism over his recent goal drought.
Ronaldo had gone 10 matches without scoring in major international tournaments, raising questions about his place in the team. However, he answered those doubts in style, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals and surpassing Eusebio as Portugal’s top scorer at the tournament.
Despite the personal milestone, Ronaldo said the team’s progress mattered most.
“The team performed really well and improved a lot,” he said. “Records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Portugal, now on four points from two matches, will face Colombia in their final Group K fixture. Uzbekistan, still without a point, will take on DR Congo.
Portugal started strongly and dominated from the opening whistle as they looked to bounce back from their disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening game.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing Joao Cancelo’s low cross from close range. He added his second goal later in the first half after converting a precise pass from Bruno Fernandes.
Nuno Mendes scored Portugal’s third with a clever free-kick routine, catching Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov off guard while Ronaldo acted as a decoy.
Uzbekistan thought they had pulled one back, but Azizjon Ganiev’s goal was ruled out following a VAR review for a foul on Cancelo.
In the second half, Nematov accidentally turned the ball into his own net, while Rafael Leao added a late fifth as Portugal eased to victory in front of a crowd of 68,777.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised his side’s response after the opening draw.
“This was the response we had in the dressing room,” Martinez said. “We showed the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity.”