Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years with a sensational performance as Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K clash, scoring twice and breaking multiple records in the process.
The emphatic victory came at the perfect time for Portugal, who were under pressure after being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening match. Roberto Martinez's side responded in style, dominating from start to finish and producing one of the most convincing displays of the tournament so far.
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Ronaldo set the tone early, opening the scoring in the sixth minute after finishing a low cross from João Cancelo. Portugal doubled their lead through Nuno Mendes before Ronaldo struck again in the 39th minute, calmly converting a pass from Bruno Fernandes. An own goal by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov and a late effort from Rafael Leão completed the 5-0 rout.
Records held by Ronaldo
The match was particularly significant for Ronaldo as it ended a goal drought that had stretched the post-matchacross 10 major tournament matches. The Portuguese captain also became the first footballer in history to score in six different FIFA World Cups-2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
His brace took his World Cup tally to 10 goals, surpassing Portuguese legend Eusébio's record of nine goals and making Ronaldo Portugal's highest scorer in World Cup history.
Ronaldo's response to criticism
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo celebrated by shouting, "I'm back" into television cameras, a response to the criticism he had faced following Portugal's opening match. “God helps those who work hard,” Ronaldo said in post match presentation. “It was a difficult, dark week; it felt like I'd already retired from football. But I held on, as I always do, because I believe more in hard work than in luck. It was difficult, I have to admit, but we're back.”
He added, “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 it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”
Published on: Jun 24, 2026 10:09 AM IST
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