Ronaldo scores twice as Portugal rout Uzbekistan at World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo answered a week of scrutiny with the sort of ruthless finishing that still makes Portugal build around him, scoring twice in a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan in Houston. The goals came in the 6th minute, off a João Cancelo cross, and again in the 39th, from a Bruno Fernandes pass.

The brace carried Ronaldo into more history. At 41 years and 138 days, he became the second-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, and he became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. The match also marked his 230th international appearance, extending his record for the most men’s internationals, and lifted his career World Cup total to 10 goals.

For Ronaldo, the performance was a direct response to the doubt that followed Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston. In that match, he played the full 90 minutes but did not put a shot on target, and Congo DR claimed its first ever World Cup point after a 52-year absence from the tournament. It was the kind of flat start that sharpened the debate over whether Portugal still gain enough from centering their attack on a player whose influence is no longer measured only by movement or tempo.

That tension runs through Ronaldo’s place in the tournament. He had already become the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup match when he lined up at 41 years and 123 days, surpassing Atiba Hutchinson’s mark from 2022. The overall record for oldest player to start a World Cup match still belongs to Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days old in 2018.

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are now the only men to play in six World Cups, a reminder of how long both have remained central to their national teams. Yet Portugal’s results also show the strain of depending on an aging icon: the draw with Congo DR meant Portugal had failed to win four of their last five World Cup openers. Against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo’s finishing was decisive. Whether it was proof of lasting tournament value or a brief surge against manageable opposition, Portugal will keep asking the same question as the knockout rounds approach.