Ronaldo strikes twice as Portugal whitewashes Uzbekistan in Group K (updated)

HOUSTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal cruised to a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a Group K match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup here on Tuesday.

In their opening matches, Portugal was held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo after struggling to create scoring opportunities, while Uzbekistan suffered a 3-1 defeat to Colombia.

"There are times when you need a game like the first one to truly grow in a tournament," said Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez.

"Today, we saw the same attitude and commitment, but with much greater maturity because the opening match pressure was behind us. I'm very pleased with the result."

Portugal showed a more aggressive approach than in its previous outing and seized control from the start.

In the sixth minute, Ronaldo found space inside the penalty area and fired a powerful shot into the net to give Portugal the lead.

With the goal, Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cup campaigns, responding to those who had questioned his place in the starting lineup.

Nuno Mendes added a second goal in the 17th minute, capitalizing on a free kick to give Portugal a 2-0 lead.

Uzbekistan stepped up its attacking efforts and found the net in the 27th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed after VAR ruled that Abbosbek Fayzullaev had fouled an opponent in the build-up.

Ronaldo was not finished. In the 39th minute, Portugal capitalized on a devastating counterattack, with Ronaldo firing Bruno Fernandes' precise pass into the far corner to score his second of the match and extend the lead to 3-0.

Portugal continued to press forward in the second half and made it 4-0 in the 60th minute when Fernandes' corner resulted in an own goal. Rafael Leao completed the rout by scoring Portugal's fifth.

Uzbekistan head coach Fabio Cannavaro shouldered the blame after his team's heavy defeat and made it clear that his young side is still finding its feet on the global stage.

"Throughout my career, both as a player and now as a manager, I have always stood accountable for results. Losing 5-0 means I got things wrong today - not my players," Cannavaro explained.

"We are making our World Cup debut, and I've made it clear to the squad that errors are acceptable, whether it's a stray pass or a poor decision. I must give them the confidence to try and improve." Enditem