Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Brace As Portugal Thumps Uzbekistan 5-0 In World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo reached another World Cup landmark with two goals as Portugal crushed Uzbekistan 5-0, putting their Group K campaign back on track after drawing 1-1 with DR Congo. The 41-year-old became the first player to score in six World Cups, while Portugal moved close to the knockout stage with a dominant display in which Uzbekistan rarely threatened.

Ronaldo’s double also moved the forward clear as Portugal’s most prolific scorer at World Cup finals, overtaking Eusebio with 10 goals. The performance came after intense discussion about Ronaldo’s place in the team, especially with Lionel Messi on five goals and Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland on four each after the opening two matchdays.

Ronaldo’s first strike meant the Portugal captain has scored at every World Cup since 2006, continuing the sequence through 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2026. At 41 years and 138 days, Ronaldo is the second-oldest scorer in tournament history, behind Roger Milla, who netted for Cameroon against Russia in 1994 aged 42 years and 39 days.

That age record is not Ronaldo’s only distinction. Ronaldo is also one of three male players to be both the youngest and oldest scorer for their country at World Cups, a feat shared with Michael Laudrup for Denmark and Lionel Messi for Argentina. An Opta statistic underlined that rare company during the match at this tournament.

The numbers from the game further highlighted Portugal’s control. Portugal attempted 17 shots and produced 2.41 expected goals, while Uzbekistan managed seven efforts worth only 0.25 expected goals. That imbalance was also clear in open play, with Portugal pressing high, forcing errors, and repeatedly finding space between Uzbekistan’s lines throughout both halves.

Some of Ronaldo’s most important work did not involve finishing. When Pedro Neto was fouled on the edge of the area, Ronaldo stood over the free-kick but acted as a decoy. Nuno Mendes instead whipped a low shot around the wall into the far corner, becoming only the second Portugal player to score direct from a World Cup free-kick after Ronaldo’s 2018 strike against Spain.

Earlier, Portugal had already seized early control. Ronaldo attacked a Mendes cross and Bruno Fernandes went close before the breakthrough. In the sixth minute, Neto showed quick footwork on the right, Joao Cancelo overlapped and cut the ball back, and Ronaldo arrived at the near post to drive a first-time finish past Abduvokhid Nematov.

Uzbekistan briefly believed they were back in the contest. Aziz G’aniev powered a long-range effort into the net, but a VAR check ruled Abbosbek Fayzullaev had fouled Cancelo in the build-up. Moments later, Fernandes carried the ball through midfield and threaded a precise pass through the centre, with Ronaldo steering his second goal into the far corner.

Ronaldo had several chances to complete a hat-trick either side of half-time. Abdukodir Khusanov hooked one lobbed effort off the line, then Nematov blocked another attempt after a rehearsed free-kick routine. From the corner that followed, Fernandes’ delivery flicked off Khusanov and then Nematov before crossing the line, with the ball credited as an own goal.

Further opportunities followed as Uzbekistan struggled to play out from the back. After the second-half hydration break, a misplaced pass allowed Ronaldo to juggle the ball onto the left foot, yet Nematov again saved. Late on, Nelson Semedo aimed a cross towards Ronaldo, the clearance dropped to substitute Rafael Leao, and Leao hammered Portugal’s fifth into the top-left corner on 87 minutes.

Earlier Portuguese pressure had set the tone, with Joao Felix also wasting two openings, one late in the first half and another soon after the restart. Despite those misses and Ronaldo’s near-hat-trick, Portugal’s 5-0 victory, added to the heavy shooting and xG margins, left the team in a strong position to progress from Group K and reduced questions around Ronaldo’s role for the coming matches.