HOUSTON: Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics in spectacular fashion, becoming the first player to score in six World Cups, scoring twice in Portugal’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Group K in Houston on Tuesday.
After the match, the 41-year-old shouted “I’m back, I’m back” at the television cameras, an outpouring after critics questioned his place in the team following a goal drought that had stretched to 10 games in major finals.
Given time and space in the box, Ronaldo was lethal in punishing an outmatched Uzbekistan and took his overall World Cup tally to 10 goals, overtaking Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the world finals.
Ronaldo said that while he was happy to break records, what was most important to him was the team’s improvement and the confidence the players showed after a frustrating first match.
“The team performed very well and improved a lot,” he said. “As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always good, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its goals.”
Portugal, which has four points from two games, will face Colombia in its final Group K match, while Uzbekistan, on the brink of elimination without points, will play the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its final match.
Early intensity
Portugal increased the intensity from the opening whistle as the players looked like they wanted to make amends for the initial 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they moved the ball quickly up the field to create a series of opportunities.
Portugal created 17 attempts on goal, eight of them on target, as the players advanced throughout the match in search of a third goal from Ronaldo, who squandered some good opportunities to claim a hat-trick.
Coach Roberto Martínez said the team, which has offensive riches beyond Ronaldo, showed improvement in decision-making and finishing against Uzbekistan.
“This was the response we had in the locker room,” Martínez said. “There are times when you need a game like the first 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.”
Ronaldo’s first goal in the sixth minute was a classy finish from six yards at the near post as he converted Joao Cancelo’s low cross, before slotting Bruno Fernandes’ perfect pass into the far corner.
The clearly relieved striker ran to the bench after opening his account, where his teammates mobbed him while coach Martínez sat back with a smile as Portugal’s players celebrated.
Nuno Mendes scored a magnificent free kick between those two goals, fooling Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov – and the entire stadium – by taking the set piece while Ronaldo acted as a decoy.
Uzbekistan thought they had reduced the lead after the first hydration break, but Azizjon Ganiev’s magnificent effort was ruled out by a foul on Cancelo following a VAR check.
In the second half, an unfortunate Nematov lost the ball in his own goal and Rafael Leao added the fifth goal late on in front of a sell-out crowd of 68,777 as Portugal controlled the game, but went slightly off the accelerator with the game in hand.
