Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the biggest line in England score today for Portugal: two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan on 23 Jun, 2026. The result came after a difficult week for Portugal and pushed Ronaldo into a place no player had reached before, with goals in six World Cups.
Cristiano Ronaldo Sets The Mark
Ronaldo, 41, finished the match with the sort of return that changes the tone around a team fast. After the final whistle, he shouted, “I’m back, I’m back,” into a television camera.
He also said, “It was a difficult, dark week; it felt like I’d already retired from football.” That line captured the pressure around him before the match, with Portugal taking heavy criticism after a flat draw against Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Portugal Answer The Criticism
The response came in the scoreline. Portugal scored five and held Uzbekistan without reply, and Ronaldo said the team “improved a lot” in the match after taking “a lot of hits” during the week.
He also said, “Very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did, the confidence we had,” which fit the result on the field more than any celebration did. The double ended a run of 10 major tournament games without a goal for him.
Six World Cups For Ronaldo
The record attached to the win is straightforward: Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups. He said, “Speaking for myself, breaking records is always nice, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Ronaldo later said Portugal had four points and believed it had already achieved its objective of getting through the qualifying round. That makes the next step for Portugal less about chasing a rescue job and more about carrying this result forward after a week that had put both the team and its captain under the spotlight.
