Ronaldo Brace Leads Portugal to Dominant Win
(image via Omar Duran)
After a draw in their opening match, and numerous questions surrounding the team, Portugal returned to Houston for a match up with Uzbekistan, looking to get their first win of the 2026 World Cup. Uzbekistan came in looking for their first ever points in the tournament after a loss to Colombia in their first match.
A lot of the questions that circulated about Portugal leading into this match were around their star, Cristiano Ronaldo. Head coach Roberto Martinez kept him in the lineup and that decision paid off. Full back Joao Cancelo burst into the attack on the right side and sent a ball into the box for Ronaldo. The 41-year-old met it first time on the volley, finding the back of the net to put Portugal up 1-0 after just six minutes. The goal made Ronaldo the first person to ever score in 6 World Cups.
CR7 looked poised for a brace when Portugal won a free kick on the edge of the box in the 17th minute. Ronaldo stood over it but faked taking it, instead allowing full back Nuno Mendes to shoot. His left-footed effort found the bottom corner and the Portuguese lead doubled to 2-0.
Uzbekistan looked to pull one back in the 29th minute when Aziz Ganiev scored a screamer from outside the box. However, the referee was called to the monitor by VAR and it was shown that a foul was commited by Abbosbek Fayzullayev, taking the goal off the board.
Ronaldo did bag his brace later in the first half, putting this match out of reach. Portugal broke with Bruno Fernandes driving forward. The Manchester United star played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Ronaldo and he made no mistake, slotting into the bottom corner to make it 3-0 in the 39th minute.
As the match approached half time, Ronaldo nearly bagged a hat trick. He got on the end of another cross and chipped an effort over the goalkeeper and toward goal. However, Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov cleared it off the line to keep the game 3-0 at the break.
The second half was more domination from Portugal. In the 59th minute, Ronaldo stepped toward a free kick but walked past the ball and left it for Fernandes. Bruno chippped it over the top for Ronaldo, who continued his run, but his volley was saved.
Portugal got their fourth goal on the hour mark off a corner kick. Fernandes’ low, driven ball was flicked on by Joao Felix. It deflected off Khusanov then off the hand of goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov and found the back of the net for an own goal, making matters even worse at Houston Stadium for Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo once again had a shot at his hat trick in the 74th minute. He blocked a clearance attempt from Nematov and then brought the ball down. His volley, however, was right at the Uzbek keeper, and was parried away.
Substitute Rafael Leao finished off the scoring, making it 5-0 in the 87th minute. Fellow sub Nelson Semedo was slipped in on the right side and he fired into the middle. The ball took a deflection right into the path of Leao and he smashed it home into the top corner.
The win, and three points, moves Portugal to the top of Group K, with Colmbia still to play DR Congo later tonight. Portugal will finish out the group stage taking on Colombia, knowing no matter what happens in their match tonight, they can win the group with a win.
Uzbekistan are still on zero points after two matches. They have an outside shot of advancing as a third place team if they can beat DR Congo in the final group match and make up a lot of ground in goal difference.
