Ronaldo’s goal after six minutes made history – trumping even Lionel Messi – as he scored at six World Cups stretching back to 2006.
Portugal were criticised following a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their opening game of the tournament, but they stepped up in style against the World Cup debutants.
Ronaldo did not have to wait long for his goal, swivelling on the six-yard box to meet a cross from Joao Cancelo and smash the ball beyond goalkeeper Abduvokhid Nematov in the 6th minute of the match, ending an 11-game goal drought at a World Cup or European Championship.
Ronaldo had a smaller part to play in Portugal’s second strike when Uzbekistan were expecting him to take a free-kick on the edge of the box, only for Mendes to surprise everyone and fire into the net.
The forward then produced another excellent finish from a tight angle after superb work from Fernandes to get the assist as Roberto Martinez’s side outclassed their opponents. That second goal which came early in the 17th minute was only the second time Ronaldo had scored more than once in a World Cup match and also took him clear of the legendary Eusebio to become Portugal’s top goalscorer at the tournament.
The Uzbeks thought they had pulled one back, after a screamer by Aziz Ganiev, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR intervention for a foul on Cancelo. The 4th goal for Portugal came from an own goal off Nematov in the 60th minute, before substitute Rafael Leao scored an emphatic fifth in the 87th minute.
Ronaldo told reporters after the game that he was delighted to see a huge improvement in his team’s performance. “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,” he said.
