Cristiano Ronaldo silences critics with record-setting performance in World Cup win
· Yahoo Sports
After watching Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lionel Messi take over the opening proceedings of this year’s World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo made sure to join the party, as he shone during Portugal’s 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Portugal are back to winning ways, as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the sixth and 39th minutes. Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also found the back of the net for Roberto Martinez’s side, and they also benefited from an own goal from opposing goalie Abduvohid Nematov.
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Ronaldo became the first man to score in six World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026). At 41 years and 138 days, the Al-Nassr striker also became the oldest player to score at least two goals in a World Cup contest, breaking the record set by Messi earlier in this year’s quadrennial tournament.
With 10 goals, Ronaldo also leapfrogged Eusebio to become Portugal’s all-time leading scorer in the World Cup. He is also the third player to hold the distinction of being his country’s youngest and oldest World Cup goalscorer (among countries with multiple scorers) after Michael Laudrup for Denmark and Messi for Argentina.
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June 23, 2026; Houston, Texas, U.S.; Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action with Uzbekistan’s Rustam Ashurmatov. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn ImagesCristiano Ronaldo gets real about ‘dark week’ before record-breaking performance vs. Uzbekistan
Cristiano Ronaldo breathed a sigh of relief after leading Portugal past Uzbekistan, and the 41-year-old striker sounded off on the outside noise in the build-up to Tuesday’s match, following their shocking 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the opener.
“God helps those who work hard. I knew my teammates would help out too. It was a difficult week, a dark week. It felt like I’d retired from soccer. But I hung in there, as I always do, because I believe in hard work more than anything else,” Ronaldo said post-match.
“But I don’t mind. I’ve been in this profession for 23 years now, and whenever things go well, Cristiano is doing great. But when things go badly, Cristiano is retired, he’s too old,” he continued. “But we responded well today. That’s what we wanted. We played with a high line, and when we do that, it’s hard to stop Portugal.”
Through Ronaldo’s exploits, Portugal have momentarily taken the top spot in Group K with four points. They’ll wrap up their group stage campaign with a mouthwatering clash against Colombia next Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.