Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a stunning response to his critics on Tuesday, becoming the first player to score in six FIFA World Cup campaigns as Portugal thrashed tournament debutants Uzbekistan 5-0 in a dominant Group K encounter.
The emphatic victory before 68,777 spectators at Houston Stadium moved Portugal to the brink of the knockout stage and marked a remarkable turnaround for the 41-year-old captain after what he described as a “dark week”.
“It’s always nice to break records, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives,” Ronaldo told broadcasters after the match. The veteran forward, who shouted “I’m back, I’m back!” into television cameras after the final whistle, admitted he had faced intense scrutiny in recent days but remained determined to prove his doubters wrong.
Ronaldo entered the match under immense pressure. Despite a successful club season with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, scoring 28 goals in 30 league games, his powers at the highest international level seemed to be on the wane. In his previous 10 appearances at major tournaments, he had registered zero goals and just one assist.
A disappointing 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opener had ignited fierce calls back home for coach Roberto Martinez to drop his skipper. His struggles stood in glaring contrast to the lightning starts made by rivals like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
Read Also: 2026 Commonwealth Games Trials In Lagos Enter Final Day
However, Martinez stuck defiantly by his captain, and the Houston crowd echoed that faith, treating the veteran to rapturous ovations during warm-ups and every time his face flashed across the big screens.
Portugal ramped up the intensity from the opening whistle, eager to make amends for their sluggish tournament opener. Ronaldo nearly pounced just three minutes in, narrowly failing to connect at the far post from a Nuno Mendes cross, slapping the turf in frustration.
He did not have to wait long for redemption. In the sixth minute, Ronaldo made history—trumping even Lionel Messi—by scoring in a sixth consecutive World Cup stretching back to 2006. Swivelling in the six-yard box, he met a low cross from João Cancelo and smashed a neat finish past Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. The striker raced to the corner flag to unleash his trademark “Siu” celebration as his teammates mobbed him.
The outclassed Uzbeks, coached by Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro, offered the perfect space and time for Portugal to rediscover their rhythm. In the 17th minute, it was 2-0. Nuno Mendes curled in a superb, deceptive free-kick, fooling Nematov and the entire stadium while Ronaldo acted as a clever decoy.
Uzbekistan briefly thought they had clawed their way back when Azizjon Ganiev struck a sensational long-range effort. However, a VAR intervention ruled the goal out for a prior foul on Cancelo.
Portugal continued to punish the debutants. Six minutes before the interval, Bruno Fernandes delivered a perfect pass into the box, allowing Ronaldo to roll in a smart, cool finish into the far corner. The strike marked Ronaldo’s 10th career World Cup goal, moving him past the legendary Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time leading marksman at the global finals.
In the second half, an unfortunate Nematov fumbled the ball into his own net from a corner, and substitute Rafael Leão completed the rout in the 87th minute with an emphatic fifth.
With four points from two games, Portugal face Colombia on Saturday, while Uzbekistan remain bottom with zero points.
