Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in six World Cups as he netted twice in Portugal’s resounding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Group K.
The 41-year-old provided a skipper’s performance to help his nation recover from their opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo and put them in sight of reaching the knock-out stages.
Ronaldo’s opener on six minutes, firing in at close range following good work from João Cancelo down the right, Portugal made it two when a quick free-kick from Nuno Mendes evaded a static Uzbek wall and curled impressively into the bottom corner two minutes past the quarter hour.
A goal from Aziz G’aniev for the Central Asians was swiftly chalked off for a foul on Cancelo by the VAR, which perhaps spurred on the home side as Bruno Fernandes fed the all-time record scorer Ronaldo for him to dink over the onrushing keeper before the hour had elapsed.
That second goal from the captain set the tone for a second-half masterclass, with a clumsy own goal from Uzbekistan defender Abduvokhid Nematov making it four and, in the closing moments, Rafael Leao sealed the emphatic victory with a spectacular effort of his own.
Ronaldo’s double took his tally in World Cup finals to 10, eclipsing Eusebio as Portugal’s best in the history of the competition, and his side stand poised to qualify for the last 32.
