By Izuchukwu Okosi
Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice Tuesday evening as Portugal beat debutants Uzbekistan 5-0 at the Houston Stadium to guarantee their place in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Portugal was held 1-1 by Congo DR in their first game of the tournament in the USA last week Wednesday and needed a victory to assert themselves in Group K.
Ronaldo became the first player to score in six consecutive World Cups when he pounced on the ball at the edge of the box in the 6th minute for the opener.
Nuno Mendes doubled the lead in the 17th minute from a free kick which was ingenuily dispatched with the Uzbekistan defensive wall expecting a Ronaldo execution.
Ronaldo ego recently won the Saudi Arabian Premier League title with Al Nassr then made it 3-0 with six minutes left on the clock in the first half to ensure that he becomes Portugal’s leading scorer in the history of the World Cup with 10 goals to surpass the legendary Eusebio.
The two goals also means the former Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star has now scored 145 international goals in 230 appearances.
The game was Ronaldo’s 24th in the FIFA World Cup and he has become the second oldest scorer in the tournament’s history at 41, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla who was 42 at USA ’94.
Uzbekistan made only one goal scoring attempt in the game but had a goal chalked off for offside. They lost to Colombia in their first group game.
