Ronaldo Is Back: 4 Takeaways From Portugal’s Blowout Win vs. Uzbekistan At The World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo is the last major star to arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the legendary Portugal striker made an emphatic statement on Tuesday with two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium. The win moved Portugal to four points in Group K and closer to a spot in the round of 32. On the flip side, tournament debutants Uzbekistan has now lost its first two games and looks to be heading home after its group stage finale. Ronaldo and Portugal will next take on Colombia on Saturday in a game that will decide its group. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, will look for its first win or point against DR Congo. But first, here are four takeaways from Portugal vs. Uzbekistan: 1. Ronaldo Off And Running This World Cup has been all about the stars delivering. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah have all scored multiple goals for their countries so far. But all eyes in this game were on Cristiano Ronaldo as he looked to join his rivals on the scoreboard. People did not have to wait long as Ronaldo scored an impressive goal in the sixth minute when right back João Cancelo moved down the flank and cut the ball back in the middle of the box for Ronaldo, who then was able to hit a shot inside the near post. Then in the 39th minute, Ronaldo bagged his second of the game when he made a run to get behind Uzbekistan’s backline and was on the end of a brilliant pass from Bruno Fernandes, his former Manchester United teammate. It was his staggering 145th international goal for Portugal and his 10th at the World Cup. Getting Ronaldo going at this tournament was a major priority for Portugal, as he had failed to score in his last 10 major tournament appearances, a span that had lasted over five years. That drought extends to 13 games when not including penalties. Even at age 41, Ronaldo remains critical to Portugal’s plans. In 2025, Ronaldo scored eight goals in nine appearances for Portugal. But now, he is off and running at the 2026 World Cup, which ends the criticism that he is struggling in major tournaments or that he has fallen behind other elite players who have all scored multiple goals in this tournament. Ronaldo is right there with them. Portugal is in much better shape now with Ronaldo off and running. 2. Fullbacks And Fernandes Drove Attack While Ronaldo was the top story of this game as the finisher of two of Portugal’s goals, Portugal’s attack was driven by its two fullbacks out wide along with Bruno Fernandes, who was instrumental in the middle. On the first goal, Barcelona right back Cancelo made a strong burst down the right side to find Ronaldo in the box. In the first half, Cancelo had 47 touches while completing 27/28 of his passes to be a major creator for Portugal. Likely due to rotation, he was removed at halftime. On the left side, it was Nuno Mendes, who was very effective in controlling that side of the field. Fresh off winning his second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Mendes scored the Portuguese goal on a free kick that fooled everyone in the stadium. The expectation was that Ronaldo was going to take the kick, but Mendes was the surprising taker and had an opening to beat Uzbekistan keeper Abduvohid Nematov. But Mendes was on the ball all the time, with 98 touches in the game, and he was very aggressive in keeping Uzbekistan pinned back. Then in the middle, it was Fernandes who was running the offense, switching the points of attack, and then assisting Ronaldo on the team’s third goal. Behind them, Vitinha sat deeper and constantly served as the transition between defense and offense. With such ability on either side of the field and in the middle, it stretched the Uzbekistan defense and gave Ronaldo room to score. 3. Learning Lesson For Uzbekistan Uzbekistan’s first World Cup will be short. It was always an uphill climb after drawing both Colombia and Portugal in its group. The country’s federation tried to incorporate experienced leadership when it hired former Italy captain and Ballon d’Or-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro to lead the team, but ultimately the task at this tournament was too much. The first two opponents were simply way too strong. The good news is that despite this lopsided loss, this experience should only benefit these Uzbek players and improve the sport within the country. Soccer is strong in the Asian federation. South Korea and Australia have played well at the World Cup. Iran drew Belgium in its last game and Saudi Arabia drew Uruguay. The goal for Uzbekistan should be to consistently improve within AFC competitions. The country is ambitious and in 2022, the government announced it completing building 3,500 mini-football fields in the country. That was a project that began in 2017. The full national team is a mainstay in the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup and its youth setup is surging, having won the AFC U-20 championship in 2023 and the U-17 championship in 2025. In 2024, Uzbekistan qualified for the Olympics. This World Cup will be short for Uzbekistan, but the team fought hard, and it is another step forward for the country’s program that has been making progress. 4. Martinez Faces Choices Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has questions when putting together his lineup for the group stage finale against Colombia. After the disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo, Martinez made one big change when he dropped Real Madrid’s Bernado Silva for João Félix. But Colombia will be the team’s biggest test in the group stage, and it will decide Group K. Martinez has so many ways he can play that game. If he opts for a combination of power and speed, he can start Rafael Leao, who scored the final goal.  If he wants power, he could bring Silva back. There are many ways he can approach every game. Martinez has frequently stressed that no player is guaranteed a spot and this team has enough talent to give him options. Now with the team playing well, the competition will be tough on the players to earn minutes. In the pre-tournament friendlies, Martinez showed his team’s depth when he used all 26 of his players in wins over Nigeria and Chile. The game against Colombia might be what he considers to be his starting lineup in what is a team that could go far at this World Cup.