Ronaldo shines as Portugal rout Uzbekistan
Baku, June 24, AZERTAC
Cristiano Ronaldo stole the spotlight as Portugal cruised to a commanding victory over Uzbekistan at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Playing in his sixth FIFA World Cup, the 41-year-old opened the scoring with a superb close-range finish following a cross from Joao Cancelo.
The goal was historic, making Ronaldo the first player ever to score in six FIFA World Cups. He also became the second-oldest goalscorer in tournament history, behind only Cameroon's Roger Milla. The strike marked a strong response after a difficult opening match against DR Congo.
Ronaldo doubled his tally just before halftime with a clinical finish into the corner, taking his World Cup goal count to 10 and making him Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament, surpassing the legendary Eusebio’s record of nine goals.
Between Ronaldo’s two goals, Portugal added a second through Nuno Mendes, whose brilliantly taken free-kick found the net after Ronaldo cleverly drew defenders away from the ball.
Portugal extended their lead midway through the second half thanks to an own goal by Uzbekistan, before Rafa Leao completed the scoring in the 87th minute.
Uzbekistan, who scored their first-ever World Cup goal against Colombia, thought they had found the net again through a spectacular long-range strike from Azizjon Ganiev. However, the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, leaving the debutants with their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance.
At 41 years and 138 days, Cristiano Ronaldo became the second-oldest player to score in FIFA World Cup history, behind Roger Milla, who was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored for Cameroon against Russia at the 1994 World Cup.
Other news in this section
