Cristiano Ronaldo Ends Goal Drought as Portugal Thrash Uzbekistan 5-0
Portugal bounced back from its opening draw with a dominant 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Cristiano Ronaldo starred with 2 goals in the 6th and 39th minutes, while Nuno Mendes added another before halftime.
For the Portuguese fans, this was the response they were hoping for after a frustrating start to the FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign. Portugal produced a dominant display to defeat Uzbekistan 5-0 at Houston Stadium in Texas and secure its first win of the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo led the way with a brilliant brace, opening the scoring in the 6th minute when he finished a cross from Pedro Neto. Portugal doubled its advantage in the 17th minute through Nuno Mendes, who cleverly converted a well worked free kick routine.
Uzbekistan thought it had pulled one back in the 29th minute through Azizjon Ganiev, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review detected a foul in the buildup. Portugal continued to control the match and Ronaldo struck again in the 39th minute after being set up by Bruno Fernandes, giving his side a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime. The second half brought more misery for Uzbekistan.
In the 60th minute, goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov accidentally turned the ball into his own net while attempting to clear a Portugal set piece. Rafael Leao then completed the scoring in the 87th minute with a fine finish from Nelson Semedo’s cross. Ronaldo nearly completed a hat trick late in the match but missed his final opportunity. Nevertheless, his 2 goals helped Portugal record an emphatic 5-0 victory and revive its World Cup campaign in style.
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