FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group K, Match 47 | Tuesday, 23 June 2026 Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas | Referee: TBC
After the DR Congo draw, there had been noise. About Ronaldo’s age. About his missed chances. About whether Roberto Martínez should be resting the 41-year-old and trusting younger legs.
He answered in the sixth minute and did not stop answering until the final whistle.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the sixth minute and the 39th minute. Two goals. A brace. And in doing so he became the first player in history to score at six separate FIFA World Cups. Korea 2002. Germany 2006. South Africa 2010. Brazil 2014. Russia 2018. USA 2026. Six tournaments, six World Cup goal contributions, nobody has ever done it before. Not Pelé. Not Messi. Not anyone.
Portugal won 5-0. The DR Congo draw was the previous chapter. This was a completely new one.
Ronaldo’s first goal came from short range in the sixth minute — a typical striker’s finish, sliding onto a ball in the box and converting without drama. 1-0. The crowd cheered. The record clock ticked toward history.
Nuno Mendes made it two with a clever free-kick routine in the 17th minute. Not the usual shot over the wall — something smarter, a low pass that found a runner arriving from a different angle. Uzbekistan’s wall completely fooled. 2-0.
Then Uzbekistan had their moment. Abbos G’aniev smashed in a wonder goal that would have been one of the tournament’s great individual strikes. The ball hit the net. The Uzbekistan supporters went wild briefly. The referee’s whistle went. Foul in the build-up. Goal ruled out. The replays confirmed it. G’aniev’s expression said everything about how cruel that moment felt.
With their response extinguished by the disallowed goal, Uzbekistan had to reorganise for the last few minutes of the half. Bruno Fernandes delivered a beautiful through ball and Ronaldo coolly slotted it in. 3-0. His second of the evening. His brace complete. First player ever to score at six World Cups. Somewhere, a record that will never be beaten had just been set.
The second half was largely Portugal managing the game intelligently, though Ronaldo came close to a hat-trick on several occasions — a shot on goal in the 74th minute, another in the 90+5th. He was not going to get the third on Tuesday.
The fourth goal came from the most unfortunate source. Abduvohid Nematov — Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper — went down for a ball and fumbled it into his own net in the 60th minute. Four-nil. The game was over as a contest.
Rafael Leão came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute and had smashed one into the top left corner within four minutes. 5-0. Leão off the bench, announcing himself to the tournament in the cleanest possible way. A thunderous finish. Exactly the kind of impact substitute that Portugal can call upon when the knockout games arrive.
Uzbekistan’s afternoon summarised: a disallowed wonder goal, an own goal conceded, and a brutal lesson in the gap that exists between making your World Cup debut and facing one of the competition’s most experienced squads. They had lost 3-1 to Colombia in their first game. This, at least, was against Ronaldo at a World Cup — a story to tell regardless of the scoreline.
FOX Sports noted that Ronaldo’s first goal had been a short-range conversion — nothing of the spectacular variety. It did not need to be. The record was always going to be noted whether it came from 30 yards or from six inches. He slid onto the ball. He scored. History was made. After the final whistle, he held the ball up and looked toward the sky in the way he does after important goals.
For Portugal, the final group game is against Colombia. Both teams will enter that match having already qualified. The question is the seeding. Who tops Group K depends on that match. Colombia have been excellent — Jhon Arias already involved in multiple goals, James Rodríguez controlling the tempo. It should be a genuinely competitive game between two sides who have both won their second fixtures emphatically.
Bernardo Silva came on for João Neves in the 76th minute. Trincão had a shot in the 90+3rd. Shukurov was replaced by Esanov for Uzbekistan in the 90+2nd. The closing stages were managed out comfortably.
One more thing. Messi scored twice against Austria on Monday. Ronaldo scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. The two greatest players of their generation, both at their sixth World Cup, both on the scoresheet within 24 hours of each other, both making records that will not be broken for a very long time. The World Cup has given us many gifts this fortnight. This particular gift — both of them, still competing at the highest level, still defining the tournament — might be the most precious of all.
For live World Cup scores from every group, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full results, standings and knockout bracket at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan FIFA World Cup 2026, Group K, Match 47 | Tuesday, 23 June 2026 Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas
Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo 6′, Nuno Mendes 17′ (free-kick routine), Cristiano Ronaldo 39′ (assist: Bruno Fernandes through ball), Abduvohid Nematov 60′ OG, Rafael Leão 87′ (sub, top corner)
Disallowed: G’aniev (Uzbekistan, wonder goal ruled out — foul in build-up)
Portugal: Costa; Semedo, Araújo, Inácio, Mendes; Neves J. (B. Silva 76′), Vitinha (Leão 83′); Trincão, Fernandes B., Conceiçao; Ronaldo
Uzbekistan: Nematov; defenders; Fayzullaev, Karimov (Jiyanov 90+2′), Shukurov (Esanov 90+2′); G’aniev, Shomurodov and others
Stats: Possession Portugal 60% — Uzbekistan 30% (10% contested) | Attempts 18-6 | Shots on Target 7-1 | Half-time: 3-0
Record: Cristiano Ronaldo — first player in history to score at six FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2026)
Group K standings: Portugal 4 pts | Colombia 4 pts | DR Congo 1 pt | Uzbekistan 0 pts
