Cristiano Ronaldo is the last major star to arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the legendary Portugal striker made an emphatic statement on Tuesday with two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium.
The win moved Portugal to four points in Group K and closer to a spot in the round of 32. On the flip side, tournament debutants Uzbekistan has now lost its first two games and looks to be heading home after its group stage finale.
Ronaldo and Portugal will next take on Colombia on Saturday in a game that will decide its group. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, will look for its first win or point against DR Congo.Â
But first, here are four takeaways from Portugal vs. Uzbekistan:
This World Cup has been all about 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 game were on Cristiano Ronaldo as he looked to join his rivals on the scoreboard.
People did not have to wait long as Ronaldo scored an impressive goal in the sixth minute when right back João Cancelo moved down the flank and cut the ball back in the middle of the box for Ronaldo, who then was able to hit a shot inside the near post.
Then in the 39th minute, Ronaldo bagged his second of the game when he made a run to get behind Uzbekistans backline and was on the end of a brilliant pass from Bruno Fernandes, his former Manchester United teammate.
It was his staggering 145th international goal for Portugal and his 10th at the World Cup. Â
Getting Ronaldo going at this tournament was a major priority for Portugal, as he had failed to score in his last 10 major tournament appearances, a span that had lasted over five years. That drought extends to 13 games when not including penalties.Â
Even at age 41, Ronaldo remains critical to Portugals plans. In 2025, Ronaldo scored eight goals in nine appearances for Portugal. But now, he is off and running at the 2026 World Cup, which ends the criticism that he is struggling in major tournaments or that he has fallen behind other elite players who have all scored multiple goals in this tournament. Ronaldo is right there with them.
Portugal is in much better shape now with Ronaldo off and running.Â
While Ronaldo was the top story of this game as the finisher of two of Portugals goals, Portugals attack was driven by its two fullbacks out wide along with Bruno Fernandes, who was instrumental in the middle.Â
On the first goal, Barcelona right back Cancelo made a strong burst down the right side to find Ronaldo in the box. In the first half, Cancelo had 47 touches while completing 27/28 of his passes to be a major creator for Portugal. Likely due to rotation, he was removed at halftime.Â
On the left side, it was Nuno Mendes, who was very effective in controlling that side of the field. Fresh off winning his second straight 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 kick, but Mendes was the surprising taker and had an opening to beat Uzbekistan keeper Abduvohid Nematov.
But Mendes was on the ball all the time, with 98 touches in the game, and he was very aggressive in keeping Uzbekistan pinned back.Â
Then in the middle, it was Fernandes who was running the offense, switching the points of attack, and then assisting Ronaldo on the teams third goal. Behind them, Vitinha sat deeper and constantly served as the transition between defense and offense.Â
With such ability on either side of the field and in the middle, it stretched the Uzbekistan defense and gave Ronaldo room to score.
Uzbekistans first World Cup will be short. It was always an uphill climb after drawing both Colombia and Portugal in its group. The countrys federation tried to incorporate experienced leadership when it hired fo
