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Cristiano Ronaldo is the latest big star to arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the legendary Portuguese striker made an emphatic statement on Tuesday by scoring two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium.
This victory allowed Portugal to take four points in Group K and move closer to a place in the round of 16. On the other hand, Uzbekistan, debutants in the tournament, have now lost their first two matches and appear to be heading home after their group stage final.
Ronaldo and Portugal next face Colombia on Saturday in a match that will decide their group. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, will be looking to secure their first win or point against DR Congo.
But first, here are four takeaways from the Portugal vs Uzbekistan match:
1. Ronaldo on the move
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
This World Cup has been entirely dedicated to the performances of the stars. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah have all scored multiple goals for their country so far. But all eyes in this match were on Cristiano Ronaldo as he looked to join his rivals on the scoreboard.
People didn’t 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 area for Ronaldo, who then managed to shoot at the near post.
Then, in the 39th minute, Ronaldo scored his second of the match when he raced to get behind the Uzbekistan backline and received a brilliant pass from Bruno Fernandes, his former Manchester United teammate.
It was his 145th international goal for Portugal and his 10th in the World Cup.
Getting Ronaldo into this tournament was a major priority for Portugal, as he had failed to score in his last 10 appearances at major tournaments, a period which had lasted over five years. This drought extends to 13 games without counting penalties.
Even at 41, Ronaldo remains essential to Portugal’s plans. In 2025, Ronaldo has scored eight goals in nine matches for Portugal. But now he is set to compete in the 2026 World Cup, putting to rest criticism that he is struggling in major tournaments or that he is lagging behind other elite players who have all scored multiple goals in this tournament. Ronaldo is there with them.
Portugal are in much better shape now with Ronaldo up and running.
2. The backs and Fernandes led the attack
(Photo by Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Ronaldo was the star of this match, scoring two of Portugal’s goals, Portugal’s attack was led by its two full-backs as well as Bruno Fernandes, who was instrumental in the middle.
On the opening goal, Barcelona right-back Cancelo broke hard down the right side to find Ronaldo in the box. In the first half, Cancelo made 47 touches while completing 27/28 of his passes to become a major creator for Portugal. Likely due to turnover, he was pulled at halftime.
On the left side, it was Nuno Mendes, who was very effective in controlling that side of the pitch. Fresh from winning his second consecutive Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Mendes scored the Portuguese goal with a free kick that fooled everyone in the stadium. Ronaldo was expected to take the spot-kick, but Mendes was the surprising taker and had an opening to beat Uzbek goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
But Mendes was always on the ball, with 98 touches in the match, and he was very aggressive in keeping Uzbekistan pinned.
Then, in the middle, it was Fernandes who led the offensive, changing the attacking points and then assisting Ronaldo on the team’s third goal. Behind them, Vitinha sat deeper and constantly served as a transition between defense and attack.
With such ability on both sides of the pitch and in the middle, this stretched the Uzbek defense and gave Ronaldo room to score.
3. Learning lesson for Uzbekistan
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Uzbekistan’s first World Cup will be short. It was always going to be an uphill climb after drawing Colombia and Portugal into his group. The country’s federation attempted to incorporate experienced leaders by hiring former Italy captain and Ballon d’Or-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro to lead the team, but ultimately the task in this tournament proved too much. The first two opponents were simply too strong.
The good news is that despite this lopsided defeat, 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 played well in the World Cup. Iran drew against Belgium in their last match and Saudi Arabia drew against Uruguay.
Uzbekistan’s goal should be to constantly improve in AFC competitions. The country is ambitious and in 2022 the government announced that it had completed the construction of 3,500 mini-football pitches in the country. This is a project that started in 2017.
The entire national team is a mainstay in the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 and its youth roster is thriving, having won the AFC U-20 Championship in 2023 and the U-17 Championship in 2025. In 2024, Uzbekistan qualified for the Olympics.
This World Cup will be short for Uzbekistan, but the team fought hard and this is another step forward for the country’s program as it progresses.
4. Martinez faces choices
(Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez faces questions as he puts together his squad for the group stage final against Colombia. After the disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo, Martinez made a big change, replacing Real Madrid’s Bernado Silva with João Félix.
But Colombia will be the team’s biggest test in the group stage, and it will decide Group K. Martinez has so many ways to play this game. If he opts for a combination of power and speed, he can start Rafael Leao, author of the last goal. If he wants power, he could bring Silva back. There are many ways to approach each match.
Martinez has often pointed out 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 players to earn minutes. In pre-tournament friendlies, Martinez showed his team’s depth using all 26 players in wins against Nigeria and Chile. The Colombia match could be what he sees as his starting XI in a team that could go far in this World Cup.
