Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0 in their Group K match in Houston. The 41-year-old became the first player to score at six different World Cups. Portugal moved top of the group.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0 in their Group K match in Houston. The 41-year-old became the first player to score at six different World Cups. Portugal moved top of the group.
Ronaldo opened the scoring after roughly six minutes, finishing a low Joao Cancelo cross inside the penalty area. Nuno Mendes made it two on 17 minutes, drilling a free-kick into the bottom corner after Pedro Neto had been chopped down on the edge of the box. Ronaldo then bagged his second just before the break, sweeping a perfectly weighted Bruno Fernandes through-ball past the goalkeeper.
The second half was a formality. An Uzbekistan own goal off Abduvohid Nematov made it four on the hour, and Rafael Leão put the icing on the cake late on, cutting inside and rifling into the top corner to round off the 5-0 win for Roberto Martínez's side.
The display ended a barren spell for Ronaldo, who had failed to score in 10 consecutive games at major tournaments. He registered seven shots against Uzbekistan and won all of his aerial duels.
Ronaldo shouted "I'm back, I'm back" into a television camera at full-time, then expanded on the week behind him. His place had been questioned after a flat 1-1 draw with DR Congo, in which he managed 25 touches and three shots, none on target.
"It was a difficult, dark week. It felt like I was already retired from football," Ronaldo said. "But I held on, like I always do, because I believe in work more than anything else."
He pushed back at the scrutiny aimed at the squad and his manager. "It's already 23 years I've been a professional and whenever things don't go well it's: 'Cristiano, he's finished, he's old.' But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted."
Martinez defended the celebration. "He can have emotions and feelings," the coach said. "The most important thing is the response he gives in training and in the game. That professional side gives him this longevity."
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro, who lifted the trophy with Italy in 2006, said he urged Ronaldo to keep playing. "I told him: 'You can still play for several more years, don't retire. If you are performing like this, why walk away?'" Cannavaro said, calling him "one of the strongest players in the history of football".
Wayne Rooney, speaking to BBC, praised his former teammate. "With all the other top players scoring goals at this tournament, to score two goals at the World Cup at 41 is incredible," Rooney said. "He's taken a bit of criticism and this is how he responds."
Ronaldo's brace took him to 10 World Cup goals for Portugal, overtaking Eusébio's nine. He is the leading scorer in men's international football with 145 goals. He is also the second-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, behind Roger Milla.
The win moved Portugal to four points from two matches, top of Group K. Pressed on a possible meeting with Lionel Messi later in the tournament, Ronaldo first replied "next question", then said the prospect would be "awesome". He framed qualification as the priority: "The main goal was to advance from the group stage, and we did it."
Portugal turn to a Group K fixture against Colombia as they look to confirm a place in the knockout rounds. Uzbekistan, playing in their first World Cup, opened with a 3-1 defeat to Colombia.
