Cristiano Ronaldo answered his critics in style, scoring twice as Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0, becoming the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the perfect response to his critics on Tuesday, scoring twice in Portugal’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan and becoming the first player in history to score at six different FIFA World Cups.
The commanding win moved Portugal to the brink of qualification for the knockout rounds and marked a remarkable turnaround after a difficult few days for the veteran forward.
11 – European players to score at the most different UEFA EURO/FIFA World Cup tournaments…
11 – 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo
10 – ❌
9 – ❌
8 – ❌
7 – ❌
6 – 🇩🇪 Jürgen Klinsmann, 🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose, 🇨🇭Xherdan ShaqiriUnbreakable. pic.twitter.com/EDITkryPOd
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2026
The 41-year-old came into the match under intense scrutiny following Portugal’s disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo, where he struggled to make an impact.
Questions were raised about his place in the starting lineup, but head coach Roberto Martinez kept faith in his captain, and Ronaldo rewarded that trust with a record-breaking performance.
Portugal started brightly in Houston, and Ronaldo wasted little time making history. Just six minutes into the contest, he met a precise cross from Joao Cancelo inside the six-yard box and powered his finish beyond goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. The goal sparked wild celebrations as Ronaldo unveiled his trademark “Siu” celebration in front of a packed crowd of nearly 69,000 fans.
Nuno Mendes doubled Portugal’s lead shortly afterward with a brilliantly curled free-kick, putting the Europeans firmly in control. Uzbekistan briefly thought they had found a way back into the game when Azizjon Ganiev produced a stunning long-range strike, but a VAR review ruled the goal out for a foul in the build-up.
Ronaldo continued to torment the Uzbek defence and added his second goal six minutes before half-time. Latching onto a clever pass, he calmly slotted beyond Nematov to take his World Cup tally to 10 goals, surpassing legendary striker Eusebio as Portugal’s highest scorer in World Cup history.
All eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo 📸 pic.twitter.com/OOevWKaI3G
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 23, 2026
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo admitted it had been a challenging period. “I’m back, I’m back,” he was heard saying after the final whistle before revealing that the previous week had been one of the toughest of his career.
The Portuguese captain said he felt many people had already written him off, but insisted that hard work and belief helped him overcome the criticism.
Portugal maintained their dominance after the break and added a fourth goal through an unfortunate own goal involving Nematov. Ronaldo came close to completing his hat-trick on several occasions, but the Uzbek goalkeeper denied him with a number of saves. Substitute Rafael Leao eventually rounded off the scoring late on with a powerful finish to cap a perfect evening for Martinez’s side.
The victory not only strengthened Portugal’s hopes of advancing but also reignited Ronaldo’s World Cup campaign. Before facing Uzbekistan, he had gone 10 major tournament matches without a goal, registering only one assist during that period.
Now back among the goals, Ronaldo and Portugal will look to build on their momentum when they face Colombia in their final Group K match, with qualification to the Round of 32 firmly within reach.
