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Cristiano Ronaldo is the latest big star to make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the legendary Portuguese striker made an emphatic statement on Tuesday with two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium.
The victory brought Portugal within four points in Group K and closer to a place in the round of 32. On the other hand, Uzbekistan, debutants in the tournament, have lost their first two matches and appear to be returning home after their group stage finale.
Ronaldo and Portugal will face Colombia on Saturday in a match that will decide their group. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, will look for their first victory or point against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But first, here are four takeaways from Portugal vs. Uzbekistan:
1. Ronaldo on the move
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Socrates/Getty Images)
This World Cup has focused on the stars delivering. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah have all scored multiple goals for their countries so far. But all eyes in this match were on Cristiano Ronaldo, who was looking to join his rivals on the scoreboard.
The crowd didn’t have to wait long when Ronaldo scored a stunning goal in the sixth minute when right-back João Cancelo came down the wing and cut the ball in the center of the box for Ronaldo, who was then able to fire in at the near post.
Then, in the 39th minute, Ronaldo got his second goal of the game when he ran behind the Uzbekistan defensive line and received a brilliant pass from Bruno Fernandes, his former Manchester United teammate.
It was his astonishing 145th international goal for Portugal and his tenth in the World Cup.
Getting Ronaldo into this tournament was a big priority for Portugal as he had failed to score in his last 10 appearances at major tournaments, a period that had lasted more than five years. That drought extends to 13 games not including penalties.
Even at 41, Ronaldo remains central to Portugal’s plans. In 2025, Ronaldo scored eight goals in nine games for Portugal. But now he is on his way to the 2026 World Cup, ending criticism that he is struggling in big tournaments or that he has fallen behind other elite players who have scored multiple goals in this tournament. Ronaldo is there with them.
Portugal are in much better shape now with Ronaldo going.
2. The full-backs and Fernandes promoted the attack
(Photo by Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Ronaldo was the main story of this match by scoring two of Portugal’s goals, Portugal’s attack was driven by their two full-backs along with Bruno Fernandes who played a decisive role in the middle.
In the first goal, Barcelona right-back Cancelo made a strong explosion down the right side to find Ronaldo in the area. In the first half, Cancelo made 47 touches and completed 27/28 of his passes to be a great creator for Portugal. Probably due to rotation, he was removed at halftime.
On the left side was Nuno Mendes, very effective in controlling that side of the field. Fresh from winning his second consecutive Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Mendes scored the Portuguese goal on a free kick that fooled everyone in the stadium. The expectation was that Ronaldo was going to take the shot, but Mendes was the surprising taker and had a chance to beat Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
But Mendes was on the ball the entire time, with 98 touches in the game, and was very aggressive in keeping Uzbekistan pinned down.
Then, in the middle, it was Fernandes who led the offensive, changed the points of attack and then assisted Ronaldo in the team’s third goal. Behind them, Vitinha sat deeper and constantly served as a transition between defense and attack.
With such skill on both sides of the pitch and in the middle, he stretched Uzbekistan’s defense and gave Ronaldo space to score.
3. Learning a lesson for Uzbekistan
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Socrates/Getty Images)
The first World Cup in Uzbekistan will be short. It was always an uphill climb after drawing with Colombia and Portugal in their group. The country’s federation attempted to bring in experienced leadership when it hired former Italy captain and Ballon d’Or-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro to lead the team, but ultimately the task in this tournament was too much. The first two opponents were simply too strong.
The good news is that, despite this lopsided loss, this experience should only benefit these Uzbek players and improve the sport in the country. Football is strong in the Asian federation. South Korea and Australia have played well in the World Cup. Iran drew with Belgium in their last match and Saudi Arabia tied with Uruguay.
Uzbekistan’s goal should be to constantly improve in AFC competitions. The country is ambitious and in 2022 the government announced that it will complete the construction of 3,500 mini-football fields in the country. That was a project that started in 2017.
The entire national team is a mainstay in the AFC Asian Cup knockout rounds and its youth set-up is on the rise, having won the AFC Under-20 championship in 2023 and the Under-17 championship in 2025. In 2024, Uzbekistan qualified for the Olympic Games.
This World Cup will be short for Uzbekistan, but the team fought hard and it is another step for the country’s program that has been moving forward.
4. Martínez faces options
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Socrates/Getty Images)
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez has doubts when it comes to making his lineup for the final match of the group stage against Colombia. After the disappointing 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Martínez made a big change when he replaced Real Madrid’s Bernado Silva with João Félix.
But Colombia will be the team’s biggest test in the group stage, and will decide Group K. Martínez has many ways to play that match. If he opts for a combination of power and speed, he can start Rafael Leao, who scored the final goal. If he wants power, he could bring Silva back. There are many ways you can approach each game.
Martínez has frequently emphasized that no player is guaranteed a spot and that this team has enough talent to give him options. Now that the team is playing well, the competition will be tough for the players to earn minutes. In pre-tournament friendlies, Martínez demonstrated his team’s depth when he used all 26 of his players in victories over Nigeria and Chile. The game against Colombia could be the one he considers his starting eleven in a team that could go far in this World Cup.
