Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at six different World Cups as Portugal eased to a comfortable 5-0 win over Uzbekistan to revive their campaign and move to the top of Group K.
The Portuguese captain produced a clinical performance with two first-half goals as Portugal responded strongly to criticism following their disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their tournament opener.
Ronaldo struck just six minutes into the game in Houston, meeting João Cancelo’s cross with a low finish to give Portugal an early advantage.
The goal saw the 41-year-old become the first footballer to score in six different World Cup tournaments. He also became the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup, behind Roger Milla.
Ronaldo leads Portugal response
Portugal continued to dominate after the breakthrough and doubled their lead in the 17th minute when Nuno Mendes found the net directly from a free-kick.
Uzbekistan briefly thought they had reduced the deficit through Aziz G’aniev, but the effort was ruled out after a foul was spotted in the build-up.
Ronaldo then grabbed his second goal of the night six minutes before halftime. After winning possession in midfield, Bruno Fernandes released the veteran forward, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
Portugal cruise to victory
The second half brought more misery for the World Cup debutants as goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov turned the ball into his own net while attempting to deal with a Bruno Fernandes corner.
Substitute Rafael Leão completed the scoring late on with a powerful finish to seal an emphatic victory.
The result lifts Portugal to the summit of Group K and strengthens their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Ronaldo closes in on another record
The historic double took Ronaldo’s World Cup tally to 10 goals across six tournaments.
While Argentina captain Lionel Messi recently became the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals, Ronaldo added another milestone to his remarkable international career by becoming the first player to score in six separate editions of football’s biggest tournament.
