Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday. The goals made him the only man on the planet to score in six different FIFA World Cups – from 2006 to 2026. While his two goals were spectacular, his behind-the-scenes role in teammate Nuno Mendes’ terrific free-kick goal in the 17th minute grabbed everyone’s attention. Ronaldo took his famous stance and even looked like warming up for the free-kick. Nuno Mendes waited and, as soon as the referee blew the whistle, much to the surprise of the Uzbek defenders, it was not the veteran Ronaldo but his teammate who took the kick and even scored with a left-footed strike.
“Ronaldo is the decoy. Everybody’s attention is focused on him, but I always thought this left-footed player did not know whether Ronaldo would give that up to him. When he did-and if you think he is a team player, he is a team player. No question about it,” the commentator said.
Ronaldo later revealed how they tricked the Uzbek goalkeeper.
“I was going to take the second one, but I told them to trick the goalkeeper and for Nuno to shoot hard because it was going to be a goal. We’re going to be united until the end to control things, because anything that comes from the outside is difficult to control. Everyone scored today, and that was the main objective,” Ronaldo said about the goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo expressed satisfaction with Portugal’s performance following their emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their second FIFA World Cup 2026 match on Tuesday (local time) at Houston Stadium, according to Reuters. The Portuguese captain, who set multiple records during the match – including becoming Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup scorer and the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments – said that his main focus remains on helping the team achieve success.
Ronaldo produced a record-breaking performance with a brace as Portugal registered a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet, while an own goal involving Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov added to the Fabio Cannavaro-led men’s woes as Roberto Martinez’s side secured their first win of the tournament in emphatic fashion.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo said the team showed significant progress from their opening match, which was a draw against DR Congo. While acknowledging that breaking records was special, he stressed that his main objective is always to help the national team achieve its goals.
“The team performed really well and improved a lot. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
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