Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and set new World Cup records as Portugal defeated Uzbekistan 5-0 in their Group K match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Houston on Tuesday.
The victory gave Portugal their first win of the tournament after being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening fixture. The result lifted Roberto Martinez’s side to four points from two matches and significantly improved their goal difference heading into the final group game.
Portugal took the lead in the sixth minute when Ronaldo converted Joao Cancelo’s low cross from close range. The goal settled the European side early as they dominated possession and created several opportunities.
Nuno Mendes doubled Portugal’s advantage in the 17th minute with a curling free-kick that beat goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
Ronaldo added his second goal of the night in the 39th minute after being played through by Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese captain calmly finished past Nematov to send Portugal into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Uzbekistan struggled to create clear opportunities throughout the match, with Eldor Shomurodov’s effort over the crossbar among their few attempts on goal.
Portugal extended their lead in the 60th minute following a corner delivered by Fernandes. Joao Felix’s flick caused confusion inside the penalty area before the ball deflected off defender Abdukodir Khusanov and then off goalkeeper Nematov into the net for an own goal.
© x.com/selecaoportugalSubstitute Rafael Leao completed the scoring in the 87th minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside the box before firing home to make it 5-0.
The match marked a historic night for Ronaldo. The 41-year-old became the first player in football history to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments and surpassed Portuguese great Eusebio to become Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 10 goals.
After the match, Ronaldo celebrated by shouting, “I’m back, I’m back” into television cameras after ending a run of 10 matches without a goal in major international tournaments.
Speaking after the game, Ronaldo said the team’s performance was more important than the records.
“The team performed really well and improved a lot,” he said. “As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always nice but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised his side’s response after the disappointing draw against DR Congo.
“This was the response we had in the dressing room,” Martinez said. “There are times when you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament.
“Today we saw a team with the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match.”
Portugal created 17 attempts on goal, with eight on target, and controlled much of the contest in front of a crowd of 68,777 spectators.
The result leaves Portugal top of Group K with four points from two matches. Colombia are second with three points from one game, while Uzbekistan remain without a point and face possible elimination. Portugal will meet Colombia in their final group-stage match, while Uzbekistan take on DR Congo.
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