Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote the football record books as a rampant Portugal national football team thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 at Houston Stadium on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The resounding victory secured three critical Group K points for Roberto MartÃnez's side, steering them toward the Round of 32 while ending his own 10-game major tournament goal drought.
The 41-year-old forward opened the floodgates in the sixth minute, meeting a low cross from João Cancelo to score a neat finish from six yards out. The historic goal established Ronaldo as the first player ever to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Nuno Mendes doubled the advantage eleven minutes later by firing a spectacular direct free-kick past Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. Ronaldo struck again before the interval, latching onto a precise pass from Bruno Fernandes to slot home his second of the afternoon. The strike marked his 10th career World Cup goal, formally surpassing the legendary Eusébio to become Portugal's all-time leading marksman at the global finals.
Uzbekistan fought valiant patches in their debut tournament appearance but could not mount a sustained threat after seeing a 29th-minute goal from Aziz Ganiev ruled out following a rigorous VAR review. The Central Asian side fell further behind on the hour mark when an unfortunate own goal deflected off defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Substitute Rafael Leão completed the rout late in the 87th minute with a thunderous first-time finish into the roof of the net.
The match provided an emotional relief for the Portuguese captain, who had faced a raft of intense media scrutiny throughout the week. Following his second goal, a triumphant Ronaldo yelled "I'm back, I'm back" directly into the broadcast cameras. With this dominant display, Portugal moves to the top of Group K ahead of their final group-stage clash against Colombia.