Today’s games
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Group I:
Norway 3 Senegal 2
Group J:
Jordan 1 Algeria 2
Group K:
Portugal 5 Uzbekistan 0
Group L:
England vs Ghana 9pm
Doing it young and old
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— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 23, 20263 - There are three players who hold the unique distinction of being both the youngest and oldest scorer for their country at the men's FIFA World Cup:
Michael Laudrup (Denmark)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
🆕Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)Stalwarts. pic.twitter.com/dajRGtAW8w
Group K fixtures
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June 17:
Portugal 1 DR Congo 1 (Houston)
June 18:
Uzbekistan 1 Colombia 3 (Mexico City)
Today:
Portugal 5 Uzbekistan 0 (Houston)
June 24:
Colombia vs DR Congo 3am (Zapopan)
June 28:
Colombia vs Portugal 12.30am (Miami)
DR Congo vs Uzbekistan 12.30am (Atlanta)
FT stats
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Possession: Portugal 66%-34% Uzbekistan
Shots: 17-7
Shots on target: 9-2
Corners: 3-2
Touches in opposition box: 37-6
Full time
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Ronaldo should probably score with one of the final kicks of the game but his shot goes wide. He was offside anyway from Mendes’ cross.
Then the final whistle is blown and Portugal claim an emphatic 5-0 win Houston. They completely dominated this game and Ronaldo got a double but he cannot quite seal a hat-trick.
90+3 mins: Portugal 5 Uzbekistan 0
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Trincao nearly adds a sixth for Portugal but drags his effort wide from Mendes’ cross. PSG’s Mendes has had a good game for Portugal today.
GOAL! Leao puts seal on emphatic win
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Portugal make it 5-0 with a great finish from Leao. Semedo’s cross from the right is aimed for Ronaldo but takes a deflection to put it into the path of Leao, who from around the penalty spot smashes it into the top left corner.
86 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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It is nearly midnight in Uzbekistan so for those watching their team there it is a late finish and it has been a chastening game for them but they might just be happy to see their team play at the World Cup for the first time.
84 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Fernandes shoots from range, looking to find the far corner, but Nematov gets down to his right to make the save.
82 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Portugal make their final substitution of the game as Leao comes on for Vitinha so, as I predicted, Ronaldo is not going to be brought off.
77 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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I just cannot see Roberto Martinez taking Ronaldo off one goal shy of another international hat-trick. He did not take off Ronaldo against DR Congo, when he was woeful.
Bernardo is on for Neves for Portugal.
74 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Another opportunity for Ronaldo, who is desperate for this hat-trick. Nematov is inexplicably closed down by Ronaldo inside his own penalty area and Ronaldo brings it down from the air before getting shot away but is denied by Nematov.
73 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Ronaldo is eyeing up a hat-trick but he cannot take this chance. Portugal win the ball through Mendes inside the Uzbekistan half before Mendes then receives it back from Trincao. Mendes’ cross from the left side of the box picks out Ronaldo but his effort goes wide.
71 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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At least during the hydration break, the fans inside Houston Stadium were treated to The Killers’ Mr. Brightside!
68 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Veiga is the first Portuguese player into the book today for taking G’aniev out off the ball.
Time for the second half hydration break.
66 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Whatever your views on set-piece coaches, there is no doubt how important Austin McPhee, the Aston Villa mastermind, is in his field. Portugal’s fourth goal was clearly down to his innovation and Roberto Martinez has just given him the warmest of embraces as his players celebrated. Eventually games in this tournament will be decided by small details. Portugal have that base covered.
63 mins: Portugal 4 Uzbekistan 0
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Portugal are making their third change of the game as Trincao is making his way on in place of Felix.
GOAL! Portugal add their fourth
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From the subsequent corner, Portugal move 4-0 up as their dominance in this match continues. It is a messy goal as Fernandes delivers to the front post. It takes a few deflections off a few different players, including off Khusanov, and the ball ends up going into the Uzbekistan net off their keeper Nematov.
59 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Portugal win a free-kick inside the Uzbekistan half and Ronaldo is lining it up from range.
However, he leaves it and it will be Fernandes takes. Fernandes dinks it over the top to pick out the run forward of Ronaldo after dummying the free-kick. Ronaldo takes it on the half volley but it is saved by Nematov, who does then catch Ronaldo but that is not the foul as he had just made the save. There are some appeals for a penalty, mainly from Ronaldo himself, but correctly VAR does not get involved.
55 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Uzbekistan win a corner as Shukurov’s shot is deflected behind but Portugal are incensed as they clearly should have been given a free-kick down the other end. If Uzbekistan score here, Portugal will be furious.
Uzbekistan take the corner short before crossing but Ronaldo is on hand to head away.
51 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Uzbekistan have not helped themselves at times today and nearly gift Portugal a goal. Nematov takes far too long on the ball and is nearly dispossessed by Ronaldo who, at 41-years-old, is not exactly a pressing machine. He never has been either so if you are getting closed down by Ronaldo you know you are not doing a good job.
48 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Portugal win the ball back high up the pitch and Felix decides to shoot from range. He strikes it well but his shot goes just over the bar. He wanted a corner but there was no touch from Nematov in the Uzbekistan goal.
47 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Ronaldo played 90 minutes against DR Congo the other day despite a poor performance so you would imagine Roberto Martinez would have a tough task taking him off one goal shy of a hat-trick!
Second half
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We are back under way in Houston. Is it going to get uglier for Uzbekistan? Based on the first half, that could well be the case.
Portugal have made a double substitution at half-time as Semedo and Conceicao replace Cancelo and Neto.
Uzbekistan have made a double change at the break as Mozgovoy and Alijonov have come on.
Going ahead of Eusebio
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My granddad has told me on numerous occasions of Eusebio’s incredible performance against North Korea at the 1966 World Cup. North Korea had gone 3-0 up in that quarter-final at Goodison Park, only for Eusebio’s four goals to lead Portugal to a 5-3 victory. Ronaldo goes past Eusebio today in terms of World Cup goals for Portugal.
Meanwhile in Boston
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England play their second game of the tournament against Ghana at 9pm tonight. Thomas Tuchel is expected to make a few changes tonight and you can find out about those alterations right here.
HT stats
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Possession: Portugal 65%-35% Uzbekistan
Shots: 8-3
Shots on target: 3-1
Corners: 1-0
Touches in opposition box: 16-2
Half-time
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A completely one-sided half of football is brought to an end as Portugal take a 3-0 lead into the break, courtesy of goals from Mendes and a double from Ronaldo, who could have had a hat-trick on the stroke of half-time. Talk about domination!
45+6 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Ronaldo nearly has a hat-trick before half-time as Cancelo’s cross from the right picks him out. Ronaldo lifts it over Nematov but Khusanov is on hand to make the clearance near his own line.
45+2 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Khamrobekov has a shot from the edge of the Portugal penalty area blocked by Veiga.
45 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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There will be six added minutes at the end of this first half.
You might not see a better team goal in the group stages. Everything about Portugal’s third, from the pressing to win back possession to the sharp passes that got him on the front foot and the final assist from Bruno Fernandes, was pitch perfect. No wonder Roberto Martinez was smiling and he has vindication for resisting the clamour to drop Ronaldo. What price do you make him to get a hat-trick now?
41 mins: Portugal 3 Uzbekistan 0
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Portugal could and perhaps should score a fourth. The ball is played in behind to pick out the run of Felix but his volley is wild. His shot should have been better or he could have played it across to Ronaldo.
GOAL! Ronaldo at the double
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Portugal are running riot in Houston and Ronaldo has two before the break. Fernandes is allowed to carry the ball through the Uzbekistan half and, at the right moment, feeds a through ball into Ronaldo, who makes no mistake from inside the penalty area.
35 mins: Portugal 2 Uzbekistan 0
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Have we all noticed how the broadcast of VAR decisions are being announced like contentious decisions in the NFL? Yes, the Premier League has brought in the development of referees speaking about what they have seen but there seems something rather more theatrical about how it is being done during this World Cup.
NO GOAL! G’naiev screamer ruled out
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Is that one of the greatest goals in World Cup history to be ruled out? It did look live like a foul on Cancelo by Fayzullaev and the referee decides to overturn his original decision. That is the right call but that is one of the best non-goals you will ever see!
GOAL! G’aniev scores stunner
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Uzbekistan have been thoroughly outplayed but they have got a goal back with a screamer! Maybe the hydration break has worked wonders for Uzbekistan.
Cancelo appeared to be fouled by Fayzullaev on the edge of the Portugal box but play goes on. The ball comes to G’aniev, who takes one touch before firing into the top corner.
Will it stand though?
25 mins: Portugal 2 Uzbekistan 0
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What did Fabio Cannavaro say to his Uzbekistan players during that hydration break? Portugal have completely and utterly dominated the first 25 minutes of this game.
23 mins: Portugal 2 Uzbekistan 0
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Time for the hydration break, which is met by boos from the crowd.
There is some chatter about whether Ronaldo would have allowed Nuno Mendes to take that free-kick four years ago. Yes, Ronaldo loves being the centre of attention but, for Portugal, it has always been about the team, right the way back to 2004 when he was an 18-year-old playing at the European Championship. He wants Portugal to succeed and he is clearly just one of the team in these situations. And make no mistake. If it all clicks for Portugal, they have got the ability to go a fair way in the World Cup.
20 mins: Portugal 2 Uzbekistan 0
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Uzbekistan are all over the place; they are not looking great on the ball, have offered basically nothing going forward and look like conceding quite a few goals. Other than all of that, things are going well for them!
GOAL! Mendes doubles Portugal’s lead
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The decoy works! Most people thought it was going to be Ronaldo to take that free-kick and it almost felt like a certainty. However, Mendes is the one to take it and scores. He beats the Uzbekistan keeper Nematov to his near side and really that is poor keeping. He is sucked into thinking it was going to be Ronaldo to take it and was caught out.
14 mins: Portugal 1 Uzbekistan 0
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Uzbekistan need to wake up or else this could get out of hand really quickly and get very ugly. Khamrobekov loses the ball just outside his own penalty area and then brings Neto down. That was around a yard away from being a penalty.
I wonder who is going to take this free-kick...
10 mins: Portugal 1 Uzbekistan 0
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It is all Portugal in these early stages and they now have a free-kick as Karimov brings down Felix not far outside the Uzbekistan penalty area out on the left.
Fernandes clips it towards the far post but Uzbekistan keeper Nematov punches away. The ball comes to Cancelo at the edge of the box and his shot is blocked.
GOAL! Drought over for Ronaldo
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He may have failed to take one chance moments ago but he buries this one to end his goal drought. Cancelo delivers a great cross from the right and Ronaldo gets across his man to fire in at the near post. A good cross rewarded with a good finish. He becomes the first man ever to score at six World Cups and you can see how much it means to him. He is also the second oldest scorer at the World Cup. Like the Argentina fans did with Messi in Dallas yesterday, the Portuguese fans go wild in Houston!
Did you ever doubt him? Of course you did but when you have his quality, you have to be prepared for something magical and there it was. Cristiano Ronaldo helps himself to a piece of history, becoming the first man to score at six World Cups, and what made that goal so special was the movement. Graeme Souness, in his first column for Telegraph Sport last week, spoke about Ronaldo being a master of working within the 18-yard box and that finish just showed what he meant. The speed and the anticipation to get to the front post illustrates why there has probably never been a better finisher.
4 mins: Portugal 0 Uzbekistan 0
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All the talk in the build-up was about Ronaldo and his goal drought and, predictably, he is into the thick of the action very early. Mendes does well to burst down the left for Portugal and delivers a fantastic cross to the far post, where he picks out Ronaldo, who should bury the chance but in the end barely gets a touch on it. Ronaldo signals he was close but realistically should be doing so much better with that chance. Earlier in his career Ronaldo would bury an opportunity like that.
2 mins: Portugal 0 Uzbekistan 0
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Big early chance for Portugal. Uzbekistan are caught sleeping from a Portugal throw deep in their own half. The ball then comes for J Neves on the right side of the box and he picks out Fernandes, who fakes the shot with his right, instead taking it with his left. His shot appeared to be going on target but is deflected over for a corner, which comes to nothing.
Kick-off
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We are under way in Houston. Will Portugal register their first win of the tournament or will Uzbekistan cause a major shock? Will Ronaldo’s goal drought at major tournaments be ended or extended?
Reminder of the teams
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Portugal: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Viega, Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes; Neto, Joao Felix, Ronaldo.
Substitutes: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Araujo, Dalot, Ignacio, Samu Costa, Nunes, Bernardo, Ruben Neves, Ramos, Trincao, Leao, Guedes, F.Conceicao.
Uzbekistan: Nematov, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev, Abdullaev, Karimov, Shukurov, Zamrobekov, Ganiev, Fayzullaev, Shomurodov.
Substitutes: Yusupov, Ergashev, Alijonov, Sayfiev, Eshmurodov, Ulmasaliyev, Urozov, Mozgovoy, Iskanderov, Jiyanov, Urunov, Khamdamov, Esanov, Amonov, Sergeev.
Anthem time
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Here come the two squads, Portugal led out by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be hoping to end his 10-game drought without a goal in major international competitions.
The two huge flags are unveiled on the pitch and the players from each squad stand around the centre circle.
Time for the national anthems; Portugal’s A Portuguesa and Uzbekistan’s Oʻzbekiston Respublikasining Davlat madhiyasi. A bit of a mouthful that one!
Uzbekistan fans enjoying their debut World Cup
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Portugal defender Joao Cancelo on his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar
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“I do not think Neymar or Cristiano need to prove anything to anyone. Their talent and what they have achieved in football speak for themselves. All that talk is just for show. Both Cristiano and Neymar know who they are and what they represent for their countries.”
Recent form of the two nations
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Portugal:
Portugal 1 DR Congo 1 (World Cup)
Portugal 2 Nigeria 1 (Friendly)
Portugal 2 Chile 1 (Friendly)
USA 0 Portugal 2 (Friendly)
Mexico 0 Portugal 0 (Friendly)
Uzbekistan:
Uzbekistan 1 Colombia 3 (World Cup)
Netherlands 2 Uzbekistan 1 (Friendly)
Canada 2 Uzbekistan 0 (Friendly)
Uzbekistan 0 Venezuela 0 (Friendly)
Uzbekistan 3 Gabon 1 (Friendly)
Group K table after one round of games
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- Colombia- 3 points
- DR Congo- 1 point
- Portugal- 1 point
- Uzbekistan- 0 points
Colombia play DR Congo in Mexico in the early hours of tomorrow morning British time.
Group K fixtures
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June 17:
Portugal 1 DR Congo 1 (Houston)
June 18:
Uzbekistan 1 Colombia 3 (Mexico City)
Today:
Portugal vs Uzbekistan 6pm (Houston)
June 24:
Colombia vs DR Congo 3am (Zapopan)
June 28:
Colombia vs Portugal 12.30am (Miami)
DR Congo vs Uzbekistan 12.30am (Atlanta)
Today’s games
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Group I:
Norway 3 Senegal 2
Group J:
Jordan 1 Algeria 2
Group K:
Portugal vs Uzbekistan 6pm
Group L:
England vs Ghana 9pm
Staggering statistics
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Cristiano Ronaldo has had one hell of a career to say the least but he has now gone 10 major tournaments games since he last scored, which was a penalty against Ghana in the group stages of the 2022 World Cup. Here are some numbers since his last major tournament goal:
Minutes- 890
Shots- 33
Shots on target- 11
Expected goals- 4.51
Touches in opposition box- 42
Touches- 282
Who is the greatest?
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Unsurprisingly, the Portugal fans are showing their love and support for Cristiano Ronaldo. How will he be feeling after Lionel Messi made World Cup history yesterday?
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro joining the fans out in Houston
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Portugal fans out in force in Houston
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Team news
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The build-up to this game was dominated by chat about Cristiano Ronaldo and the big team news is that he starts for Portugal today. Manchester City’s Ruben Dias and Joao Felix come in as Roberto Martinez makes two changes.
Portugal: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Viega, Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes; Neto, Joao Felix, Ronaldo.
Substitutes: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Araujo, Dalot, Ignacio, Samu Costa, Nunes, Bernardo, Ruben Neves, Ramos, Trincao, Leao, Guedes, F.Conceicao.
Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov starts for Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan: Nematov, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev, Abdullaev, Karimov, Shukurov, Zamrobekov, Ganiev, Fayzullaev, Shomurodov.
Substitutes: Yusupov, Ergashev, Alijonov, Sayfiev, Eshmurodov, Ulmasaliyev, Urozov, Mozgovoy, Iskanderov, Jiyanov, Urunov, Khamdamov, Esanov, Amonov, Sergeev.
Ronaldo the talking point but when he is not?
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Portugal look to win their first game at this year’s World Cup as they take on tournament debutants Uzbekistan on matchday two of Group K from Houston. This is the first-ever meeting between the two nations and both are looking for their first win in Group K.
Portugal started their Group K campaign with a disappointing draw with DR Congo, despite taking an early lead. Joao Neves had put Portugal in front but Yoane Wissa’s equaliser meant both sides had to settle for a point. Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance against DR Congo came in for some criticism, which saw his goal drought in major international competitions extend to 10 games, despite having 33 shots. His last goal at a major tournament came in November 2022, when he scored a penalty in a 3-2 group-stage victory over Ghana. Ronaldo did become the oldest outfield player to start at the World Cup in that draw against DR Congo and, along with Lionel Messi, is the only player to compete at six World Cups. Portugal boss Roberto Martinez stopped short of confirming whether the 41-year-old would start against Uzbekistan today but believes the criticism aimed at Ronaldo has been unfair.
“We are more united, we are stronger,” Martínez said. “We are playing a World Cup, of course there is a lot of noise, a lot of tension, it is part of the game. Our focus is on the team. We are more united than before we arrived. There is no tension. He [Ronaldo] is an example, as a captain. And he has reacted as a captain, with a lot of experience. He wants to contribute, and he is a role model for our team. He is probably the biggest example of how to recover, how to train. But that does not take away the feeling of frustration we all have, as a team.”
Uzbekistan, managed by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro, lost 3-1 to Colombia in their opening game of Group K, which was their first-ever game at the World Cup. Abbosbek Fayzullaev will go down in Uzbekistan football history as he did score their first-ever goal at the World Cup in that defeat to Colombia.
“As I have always said, we have nothing to lose,” said Cannavaro, who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup as captain. “Portugal always like to control the game. They will start in a very good way; they want to play fast. We will be prepared for that. We have our strategy. I know we are going to face a very good team. We will try to do our best and stay in the game until the end. I asked my team to play with more fighting spirit than against Colombia, but we cannot just run around stupidly everywhere.”
Team news to follow shortly.