Cristiano Ronaldo announced his arrival at the 2026 World Cup with two goals as Portugal ignited their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan.
Portugal and Ronaldo were heavily criticised after an uninspiring 1-1 draw in their Group K opener against DR Congo, but they came alive under the roof at the Houston Stadium on Tuesday.
And the star striker appeared to take aim at his critics as he shouted “I’m back, I’m back” into a television camera after the final whistle.
Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao were also on target, while Uzbekistan conceded an own goal in a convincing performance by Roberto Martinez’s side.
There had been much focus on Ronaldo’s status in the team, but Martinez stuck with the 41-year-old and was rewarded with a determined display.
Ronaldo was eager to get off the mark after strong starts to the tournament by fellow world stars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
He needed just six minutes to find the net, becoming the first player to score in six World Cups in the process.
He had already spurned one chance as he failed to connect with a brilliant cross from Mendes, but he made no mistake when he swivelled and fired in first time at the near post from a Joao Cancelo ball.
Bruno Fernandes also had a shot deflected over in a strong start and Mendes doubled the lead from a free-kick in the 17th minute.
Uzbekistan feared a Ronaldo strike from the edge of the box, but the former Real Madrid star made only the slightest movement as he allowed Mendes to run up and drive home.
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Uzbekistan, managed by Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, thought they had pulled one back with a stunning strike from Azizjon Ganiev just before the half-hour. It was ruled out for a foul on Cancelo in the build-up by Abbosbek Fayzullaev.
Ronaldo compounded their frustration when he raced on to a well-weighted ball by Fernandes and finished coolly.
Ronaldo went close again just before the break as he just beat goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov to the ball, but his chip was cleared off the line.
Fayzullaev shot straight at Diogo Costa as Uzbekistan briefly threatened after the restart, but Ronaldo was denied by Nematov at the other end.
Portugal’s fourth came on the hour when a low ball into the box took a series of deflections and ended up in the net after ricocheting off Abdukodir Khusanov and Nematov.
Ronaldo forced a fine save from Nematov as he continued to chase a hat-trick and Leao completed the rout when he lashed into the roof of the net when a clearance rolled into his path.
Ronaldo felt the performance was the “silver lining” the team needed after all their recent criticism.
He said: “I’m very happy but, for me, the most important thing is our work and the confidence we showed. The team performed really well and improved a lot. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.
“Obviously personal records are always nice but my goal is always to help the team achieve its objectives.”
Martinez added on fifa.com “There are times when you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament. Today we saw a team with the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match.”
