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Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups as his impressive performance helped Portugal to a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cup matches and kept his opponents out as the Portugal captain scored twice in the match. 5-0 destruction in Uzbekistan.
A big win in Houston on Tuesday put Portugal on the brink of the knockout stages and provided a stunning response to the 41-year-old’s doubters.
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Ronaldo’s goal after six minutes set a record – surpassing even Lionel Messi – for scoring in six World Cups since 2006.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player unleashed his “Siu” celebration and let out a roar in front of 68,777 fans.
After Nuno Mendes made it 2-0, Ronaldo scored the second with a cool finish six minutes before the break.
This brought him to 10 World Cup goals, more than any other Portuguese player including the great Eusebio.
Ronaldo entered the group against fellow tournament participants Uzbekistan with 143 goals, the most in a men’s international competition.
But after becoming known as Messi’s rival for the unofficial title of best player, his influence has been on the wane.
He had little service in the ministry disappointing 1-1 and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to compete against Portugal at the World Cup.
But after two chances he missed the target, ending calls for Roberto Martinez to leave him.
His exploits in front of goal were in stark contrast to the likes of Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, who sparked the World Cup.
But Martinez stuck by his ambassador, who was given a warm welcome when he came out to warm up at the Houston Stadium, and every time he appeared in the big shows.
Ronaldo’s day
Ronaldo came close to scoring just three minutes later, failing to connect with the far post after a cross from Mendes. Ronaldo hit the turf in frustration.
He didn’t wait long for his goal, striding into the six-yard box to meet a first-time cross from Joao Cancelo and smashing the ball past goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
The leading Uzbeks, coached by Italy’s 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, were strong contenders for Ronaldo to regain his scoring boots.
It was 2-0 on 17 minutes when Mendes curled in a free kick.
The Uzbeks thought they would get one back, after a shout from Azizjon Ganiev, but the goal was disallowed after VAR intervened for a foul on Cancelo.
It was Ronaldo’s day, and he overturned the third quarter with the goalkeeper alone to strike and finish brilliantly.
He could have had a third with a stunning free kick, but Nematov denied him, beating the veteran striker.
From the resulting corner it was 4-0, with Ronaldo getting the better of the ball before curling it past Nematov to make it his own.
Substitute Rafael Leao scored the fifth in the 87th minute.
Ronaldo told reporters after the game that he was happy to see a big improvement in his team’s performance.
“I am very happy, but for me, the most important thing is our work and the confidence we showed, the team did very well and they have done very well,” he said.
“Of course, speaking personally, records are always good, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its goals.”
The final match of the Portuguese team is on Saturday against Colombia, which defeated the Uzbeks 3-1.
Colombia face DR Congo later on Tuesday in Group K knowing that a win will see them into the last 32.
