Fifa World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice in swift Lionel Messi riposte as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Houston: In Space City, here was lift-off at last for Cristiano Ronaldo, the World Cup of stars finally welcoming a chiselled, 41-year-old Portuguese striker into its supersonic crew.

Ronaldo had waited a long time for this moment, five years to the day exactly, including a whole World Cup, another Euros, and 12 matches in total since he last scored in open play for Portugal at a leading tournament. Since Ronaldo's penalty, tucked away against Ghana in November 2022, he had gone a remarkable 10 tournament matches without a goal at all.

That was too long for a team as talented as Portugal's, especially as this side of elite creators laboured to a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo last week, when their veteran striker failed to register a single shot on target. But here in Houston, at the NRG Stadium, Ronaldo's double and a thumping 5-0 Portugal victory over Uzbekistan finally gave the case for defence some fresh evidence.

Ronaldo was in no mood to downplay his performance afterwards, as looked into the camera and said: “I'm back, just so they don't forget.” In the mixed zone, he admitted, “It was a difficult, dark week, it felt like I'd already retired from football, but I held on as I always do.” He added: “It was difficult, I have to admit, but we're back.”

He made history too, the timing as ever so close to Lionel Messi that it felt almost like a riposte. The day after Messi became the World Cup's most prolific scorer, Ronaldo's first goal in the sixth minute here means he is unparalleled for longevity, as the only footballer to score in six different World Cups, which is one more than Messi.

In the scramble to scoff at this late-career version of Ronaldo, to take the valid debate about contribution and role into a space of derision for clicks, it is worth underlining what a spectacular achievement that is. Pele, Diego Maradona and the Brazil striker Ronaldo scored at only three World Cups, the great Gerd Muller at two. Ronaldo's first World Cup goal, against Iran, came in June 2006, before Instagram or iPhone, and a soon-to-be eight prime ministers of the United Kingdom ago.

There were glimpses of the old instincts too, which Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez, not to mention Ronaldo's global army of super-fans, will surely grasp on to. His smart, half-volleyed finish was a moment of crisp, high-quality goalscoring and there was precision in his second as well, as Ronaldo latched onto Bruno Fernandes' pass and swished a shot into the far corner.

The collective relief was palpable, as Ronaldo celebrated his first goal by running towards the crowd of substitutes on the side, where he was then mobbed by the entire Portugal squad, before he returned to the crowd again for a punch of the air, a slap on the shirt and his solo, signature move. Ronaldo even let Nuno Mendes take a free kick, which was such a surprise to everyone in attendance, the full back's shot flew straight in.

The big question is whether Uzbekistan, ranked 58th in the world rankings and with only one player representing a club in Europe's five major leagues, are any useful measure of top-tier quality. This is Uzbekistan's first World Cup and they are very much among this expanded tournament's bottom bracket having conceded eight goals in their first two games.

Ronaldo's case will gain added weight if he can deliver in Miami on Sunday (NZT) against Colombia, which could be a decider for who finishes top of group K. Assuming DR Congo beat Uzbekistan in their last match, Portugal may yet finish third which, as it stands, would mean a round-of-32 meeting with England.

In that sense, it was incredible to see Ronaldo still playing the whole match here, still going in the 95th minute with the score at 5-0. He is now the second oldest man to score at a World Cup, behind Cameroon's Roger Milla, but rest and rotation are not on the agenda. Ronaldo wanted his hat-trick and had two or three good chances to seal it, as a clever scooped finish was cleared off the line before a late cross to the back post somehow squirmed away.

– The Times, London