Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics in style by becoming the first player to score in six World Cups, when he struck twice in Portugal’s dominant 5-0 Group K win over Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday.
Ronaldo delivered a statement performance while ending a goal drought that had stretched to 10 matches in major international tournaments.
After the final whistle, the 41-year-old celebrated passionately by shouting “I’m back, I’m back” into the television cameras, a response to critics who had questioned his place in the team.
The two goals took Ronaldo’s World Cup tally to 10, moving him ahead of Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
While pleased with the milestone, Ronaldo said the team’s performance mattered more than individual records.
“The team played really well and showed a big improvement,” he said. “Records are always nice, but my main goal is to help Portugal achieve its objectives.”
Portugal now have four points from two matches and will face Colombia in their final Group K game. Uzbekistan, still without a point, must beat DR Congo to have any chance of staying in the tournament.
Portugal started with purpose after their disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the opening match. Roberto Martinez’s side moved the ball quickly, created chances regularly and looked determined to make a statement.
The Portuguese attack was relentless, finishing with 17 shots, eight of them on target. Ronaldo could even have had a hat-trick but missed a few good opportunities.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, turning in a low cross from Joao Cancelo at the near post. Later in the first half, he doubled his tally by calmly finishing Bruno Fernandes’ perfectly weighted pass into the far corner.
Clearly relieved to end his scoring drought, Ronaldo sprinted to the sidelines to celebrate with his team-mates, while Martinez watched with a smile from the bench.
Between Ronaldo’s two goals, Nuno Mendes produced one of the moments of the match with a clever free-kick. While Ronaldo stood over the ball as a decoy, Mendes caught everyone by surprise and curled the ball past goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
Uzbekistan thought they had pulled a goal back after the first hydration break when Azizjon Ganiev found the net, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR review for a foul on Cancelo in the build-up.
Portugal remained in complete control after half-time. Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper Nematov endured a difficult evening when he accidentally turned the ball into his own net and Rafael Leao added a fifth goal late on.
