Cristiano Ronaldo opened his account at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as Portugal secured their first victory of the tournament in emphatic fashion. Roberto Martinez's side proved far too strong for Uzbekistan, scoring five unanswered goals in a dominant display.

The European giants wasted little time asserting their authority. By the 17th minute, Portugal had already established a two-goal cushion. Ronaldo struck first, timing his run perfectly to slip behind the defence before steering the ball into the net with a composed first-time finish at the near post. Moments later, Nuno Mendes doubled the advantage with a thunderous set-piece effort that flew into the right corner.

The game's defining moment arrived just before the half-hour mark. Uzbekistan thought they had pulled a goal back when Ganiev produced a stunning strike into the top corner, only for the effort to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up. It was a major setback for the side coached by Fabio Cannavaro, who never truly recovered after seeing their lifeline taken away.

Portugal continued to dictate proceedings and effectively ended the contest before the interval. Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his second goal of the evening, converting a precise delivery from Bruno Fernandes inside the penalty area. The second half brought more misery for the Central Asian side, as confusion following a Portuguese corner resulted in an unfortunate own goal from the Uzbek goalkeeper on the hour mark.

The scoring was completed by Rafael Leao. The AC Milan forward was left completely unmarked inside the box and made no mistake, unleashing a powerful finish to cap an impressive victory.

World Cup 2026

Portugal - Uzbekistan 5:0 (3:0)
Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo, 6 (1:0); Mendes N., 17 (2:0); Cristiano Ronaldo, 39 (3:0); Nematov, 60 (own goal) (4:0); Rafael Leão, 87 (5:0)

Portugal: Costa D.; Dias R.; Veiga; Cancelo (Semedo N., 46); Mendes N.; Vitinha F. (Rafael Leão, 83); Fernandes B.; Félix J. (Trincão, 64); Neves J. P. (Bernardo Silva, 76); Cristiano Ronaldo; Pedro Neto (Conceicao F., 46)
Substitution: Semedo N. (from 46); Conceicao F. (from 46); Trincão (from 64); Bernardo Silva (from 76); Rafael Leão (from 83)
Bench: José Sá; Rui Silva; Araújo T.; Dalot; Inacio; Samú Costa; Matheus Nunes; Ruben Neves; Guedes G.; Ramos G.
Yellow Cards: Veiga 68

Uzbekistan: Nematov; Khusanov; Ashurmatov; Nasrullaev (Alizhonov, 46); Karimov (Jiyanov, 90); Khamrobekov (Mozgovoy, 46); Abdullaev; Shukurov (Esanov, 90); Ganiev; Fayzullayev (Sergeev Ig., 73); Shomurodov
Substitution: Alizhonov (from 46); Mozgovoy (from 46); Sergeev Ig. (from 73); Esanov (from 90); Jiyanov (from 90)
Bench: Yusupov; Ergashev; Sayfiev; Eshmurodov; Ulmasaliev; Urozov; Khamdanov; Iskanderov; Urunov; Amonov
Yellow Cards: Khamrobekov 14