Fresh from an unforgettable evening in Houston, where he scored twice and became the first player to find the net in six FIFA World Cups, Ronaldo was questioned about Messi’s impressive start to the tournament. The Portuguese superstar, however, swiftly dismissed the comparison, replying with a terse “next question.”
When a journalist began to ask, “Yesterday, Lionel Messi scored two goals and Mbappe,” Ronaldo instantly turned his head and interrupted the dialogue. “Go ahead,” he gestured to another reporter before the question could be articulated.
This exchange occurred just days after Messi became the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history with 18 goals, surpassing Germany’s Miroslav Klose. The captain of Argentina is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot with five goals across two matches.
While Ronaldo was hesitant to delve into another chapter of football’s greatest rivalry, he recognized that a World Cup final between Portugal and Argentina would be a spectacular treat for fans worldwide.
Some pundits debated whether Ronaldo should maintain his position in the starting lineup after a lackluster performance against Congo. However, coach Roberto Martínez stood by the superstar, a decision that yielded immediate results as Ronaldo netted the first goal in the sixth minute.
Martínez expressed that the seasoned players on his team utilized their experience to steady the squad and prevent negativity from affecting them on Tuesday.
“The discipline and execution of the game were outstanding,” Martínez stated. “This highlights how the maturity in that dressing room helped us use the noise beneficially. In another setting, it could have been disastrous.” Ronaldo commented on the challenging week, noting it was particularly hard on both him and his coach, as most of the scrutiny was directed at them.
“But it’s always like that; it doesn’t matter, because I’ve been in this for 23 years. When things go well, ‘Cristiano is great,’ and when they go poorly, ‘Cristiano is old, a retired player,'” he stated. “It will always be this way. But we responded well today, my teammates and I, which is what we aimed for.” Ronaldo scored with his right foot after a cross from João Cancelo, marking another milestone. He then performed his iconic SIUUU celebration before rushing toward the bench to celebrate with his teammates.
Ronaldo bagged another goal in the 39th minute after receiving a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scoring with his right foot just inside the near post to extend the lead to 3-0. Nuno Mendes scored the second goal from a free kick in the 17th minute.
Portugal increased their advantage to 4-0 after an own goal in the 60th minute. Rafael Leão, who came on in the 83rd minute, further extended the lead to 5-0 in the 87th minute. He crouched down, smiled, and posed for the camera after his goal.
Uzbekistan midfielder Azizjon Ganiev appeared to have scored in the 30th minute, but the goal was disallowed after a video review showed Abbosbek Fayzullaev fouled João Cancelo just prior to the attempt.
Uzbekistan’s coach Fabio Cannavaro, whose team is competing in the World Cup for the first time, took responsibility for the defeat.
“We lost 5-0 today because of my mistakes, not theirs,” said the coach, who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup victory.
While Martínez retained Ronaldo as a starter, he made two adjustments to the lineup. He substituted midfielder Bernardo Silva for João Félix and started defender Rúben Dias, who missed the opener due to injury, over Tomas Araújo.
Ronaldo had an excellent chance to score in the fourth minute when he received a cross from Mendes but narrowly missed with his right foot as he fell to the ground. He shook his head and gestured that it was close. However, he didn’t take long to put Portugal ahead.
He had an opportunity for a hat trick at the end of the second half’s injury time, but his shot went just wide.
Uzbekistan’s next match is on Saturday night in Atlanta against Congo. Portugal’s final group fixture is against Colombia on Saturday night in Miami.
(With PTI inputs)
