Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 6th and 39th minutes as Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0, reaching a historic milestone as the first player to score at six different World Cup editions. His double took his tournament tally to 10 goals, silencing heavy pre-match criticism about his role in the team.
"Sooner or later I always achieve my goals," Ronaldo said when asked about critics questioning his age and effectiveness. "I've been doing this for 23 years. When things go well, they say Ronaldo is fine. When something doesn't work, they say he's old and should retire." He emphasised Portugal's collective improvement after a difficult week of external pressure.
Coach Carlos Queiroz credited Ronaldo's resilience. "It was a difficult week with all the external noise," Queiroz said. "But the team showed its quality and Cristiano answered perfectly." Portugal's next match is against Colombia on 28 June.
Ronaldo's resurgence after pre-tournament speculation could shift goalscorer and anytime-scorer odds for Portugal's knockout fixtures.
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