HOUSTON : Cristiano Ronaldo declared “I’m back” after becoming the first player to score in six FIFA World Cups, netting twice as Portugal crushed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Group K on Tuesday to revive their campaign after an underwhelming opening draw.
The 41-year-old forward ended a 10-match goal drought in major international tournaments with a clinical first-half double, helping Portugal move to four points from two matches and take a significant step towards the knockout stage.
After the final whistle, a visibly emotional Ronaldo shouted “I’m back, I’m back” into television cameras, responding to growing criticism over his place in the team following his prolonged scoring slump.
Ronaldo’s brace took his World Cup tally to 10 goals, surpassing Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
“The team performed really well and improved a lot,” Ronaldo said. “As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Portugal face Colombia in their final Group K match, while Uzbekistan remain without a point and are on the verge of elimination ahead of their meeting with DR Congo.
Portugal began with far greater urgency than they showed in their opening 1-1 draw against DR Congo, dominating possession and creating chances from the outset.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, turning in a low cross from Joao Cancelo at the near post. Nuno Mendes doubled the lead with an inventive free kick that caught goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov off guard while Ronaldo acted as a decoy.
The veteran striker struck again before halftime, guiding Bruno Fernandes’ precise through ball into the far corner to put Portugal firmly in control.
A relieved Ronaldo sprinted to the touchline to celebrate his first goal, surrounded by teammates while coach Roberto Martinez watched on with a smile.
Uzbekistan briefly thought they had reduced the deficit when Azizjon Ganiev found the net, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul on Cancelo in the build-up.
Portugal continued to dictate proceedings after the break. Nematov’s difficult evening worsened when he fumbled the ball into his own net, before Rafael Leao completed the scoring late on in front of a crowd of 68,777.
Portugal finished with 17 attempts on goal, including eight on target, and repeatedly searched for a third goal for Ronaldo, who missed several opportunities to complete his hat-trick.
Martinez praised his side’s response after the disappointing opening match.
“This was the response we had in the dressing room,” he said. “Sometimes you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament. Today we saw the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match.”
The emphatic victory restored confidence in Portugal’s campaign and provided a memorable milestone for Ronaldo, whose latest record added another chapter to a remarkable World Cup career.
