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Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a powerful message to his critics after leading Portugal to a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan at the 2026 World Cup. The iconic striker spoke candidly about the emotional strain he endured following Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening match, describing it as a “dark week”.

Breaking the goal drought

On Tuesday, Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. Leading the line for Portugal in their Group K clash against Uzbekistan, the Al-Nassr star struck twice in a dominant 5-0 triumph that leaves Roberto Martinez’s men in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage.

The 41-year-old opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a precise near-post finish, ending a frustrating spell of 10 major international matches without a goal. He netted again before half-time, racing onto a defence-splitting pass to make it 3-0 after Nuno Mendes had already added the second. Ronaldo’s brace took his overall World Cup goal tally to 10, ensuring he has scored in every edition of the tournament since making his debut in 2006.

Overcoming the ‘dark week’

The result served as the ideal response to the criticism that followed Portugal’s underwhelming draw with DR Congo. Many supporters and analysts had questioned whether Ronaldo should still lead the line at this stage of his illustrious career.

“God helps those who work hard. I knew my team-mates would step up too,” Ronaldo said after the match. “It was a difficult week, a dark week. It felt like I’d retired from football. But I stayed strong, as I always do, because I believe in hard work above everything. It was tough, I must admit, but we’re back.”

Handling the criticism

Ronaldo acknowledged that both he and Portugal remain frequent targets of criticism whenever results don’t go their way. “We’ve improved; that’s life. You face setbacks—on the pitch and off it—but the goal is always to get better,” he explained. “And that’s what we did. It was a very difficult week, with public opinion being quite harsh on all the players, especially on me and the coach.”

He added, “But I’m used to it. I’ve been in this profession for 23 years. When things go well, Cristiano is the best; when they don’t, Cristiano is finished, too old. That’s the way it always is. But today we showed our response. That’s what we wanted—to play high, to press, and when we do that, Portugal are very tough to stop.”

Focus turns to Colombia

Portugal now have four points in Group K, placing them in a strong position to progress to the next round. Their attention now turns to their final group fixture against Colombia in Miami on Saturday. Following this emphatic win, the mood in the Portuguese camp has shifted from doubt to renewed confidence as the Selecao aim to secure top spot in the group. For Uzbekistan, the defeat eliminates any hope of reaching the knockout stages, and they will now seek to restore some pride in their final game against DR Congo.