Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is back with historic brace

HOUSTON – After scoring his second goal Tuesday afternoon against Uzbekistan, legendary Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo looked into the raucous sellout crowd and yelled, “I’m back! I’m back!”

Ronaldo’s signature “Siuuuuuu!” echoed across Houston Stadium.

“I’m very happy,” Ronaldo said after making history as the first player to score in six FIFA Men’s World Cup tournaments. “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, speaking personally, records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.” 

With the 5-0 victory, Portugal improved its chances to advance into the knockout round of the World Cup. Portugal has four points heading into its final Group K match against Colombia, which defeated Congo DR 1-0 Tuesday night to move atop the group standings with six points. Portugal is in second with four points. Congo DR, which tied Portugal in their respective openers, is in third with one point.  

Setting up history

As midfielder João Cancelo burst down the right side, Ronaldo matched his stride in the box. Cancelo passed a low cross into the box. Ronaldo, 41, slotted the ball into the back of the net in front of a raucous crowd of 68,777. 

Cristiano Ronaldo makes it known.

HE'S BACK 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/5nLsp32IUU

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 23, 2026

In the 17th minute, midfielder Nuno Mendes doubled Portugal’s lead with a free kick designed to mimic a Ronaldo attempt. Uzbekistan’s wall shaded heavily to the left, anticipating Ronaldo’s strike. Mendes exploited the gap with a left‑footed shot into the bottom left corner. 

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Uzbekistan scored when midfielder Azizjon G’Aniev curled a 25‑yard effort into the top left corner, but the goal was annulled after video review (VAR) showed that midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev fouled Cancelo while winning the ball back.

In the 38th minute, Bruno Fernandes ignited a fast break and threaded a through ball to Ronaldo, who finished with a right‑footed strike to the bottom‑left corner for his second goal.

At stoppage time, Ronaldo nearly secured a hat trick, but his final attempt was denied by Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. 

‘Very happy’ for Ronaldo

“We’re very happy for him,” Portugal forward Francisco Trincao said of Ronaldo. “Obviously it’s a sense of pride to be part of this group and to play with Cristiano. He’s the best, that’s why we’ve got to enjoy every moment right up to the end. And obviously he needs to score many more goals. I’m sure he’s going to score many more goals, and we’ve got to help him out now, just like we did in this match.”

As midfielder Bruno Fernandes tried to disguise a pass to Ronaldo, it was denied by Nematov and clipped Ronaldo’s leg in the process, bringing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner down briefly. 

History once again in the Lone Star State!
A day after Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, the man who has rivaled him for the best of their generation – Ronaldo – became the first player to score a goal in 6 World Cups! pic.twitter.com/ir0Gujzr16

— Our Esquina (@OurEsquina) June 23, 2026

In the 60th minute, Portugal added a fourth goal. After a corner was played short, Fernandes drove a low ball into the box. Forward João Félix and Ronaldo missed the initial touch and the ball bounced off defender Abdukodir Khusanov toward the goal. The ball bounced off Nematov’s glove and into the goal. Rafael Leão capped the scoring with a shot into the top‑left corner to make it 5–0.

“There are times when you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament,” Portugal coach Roberto Martínez said. “Today we saw a team with the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match. I’m very pleased with the result.”