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Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name further into football history on Tuesday, scoring twice as Portugal cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan to secure their first win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The veteran forward became the first men’s player to score in six different World Cup tournaments after opening the scoring just six minutes into the contest. Ronaldo powered home a half-volley from a Joao Cancelo cross, setting Portugal on course for a dominant display.
Portugal doubled their advantage through Nuno Mendes, whose brilliantly executed free-kick found the bottom corner after Ronaldo cleverly stepped over the set-piece, deceiving the Uzbekistan defence.
Uzbekistan briefly thought they had reduced the deficit when Azizjon Ganiev fired home from long range, but a VAR review ruled the effort out for a foul on Cancelo in the build-up.
Ronaldo struck again before halftime, latching onto a precise through-ball from Bruno Fernandes before calmly sliding his finish past goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. The goal also saw him become Portugal’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals.
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The Portuguese captain nearly completed his hat-trick in first-half stoppage time, but Abdukodir Khusanov produced a goal-line clearance to deny him.
Khusanov’s evening worsened just before the hour mark when Fernandes’ low corner deflected off the defender and into his own net to make it 4-0.
Ronaldo continued his pursuit of a third goal, but Nematov produced two fine saves to frustrate the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Substitute Rafael Leao eventually rounded off the scoring late on with a powerful strike into the top corner.
The emphatic victory provided the perfect response from Roberto Martinez’s side following their disappointing opening draw against DR Congo and boosted their hopes of progressing deep into the tournament.
