Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Cristiano Ronaldo has spent so much of his career proving people wrong.
However, every few months, football decides it has finally spotted the decline. Every few months, somebody declares that the end is near. And every few months, Ronaldo finds a way to drag the conversation back to a familiar place.
Question his age, and he scores.
Doubt his place in the team, and he scores.
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Suggest that Portugal might be better off moving on, and more often than not, he scores again.
PORTUGAL vs UZBEKISTAN, FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
The latest round of criticism arrived after Portugal’s disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their World Cup opener. Ronaldo looked isolated, managed just 25 touches and extended a run of 10 matches without a goal at a major international tournament. Thierry Henry was among those who questioned whether Roberto Martinez’s side needed a different attacking profile, while social media had already begun drafting retirement speeches on the captain’s behalf.
The timing could hardly have been worse.
On the other side of football’s greatest rivalry, Lionel Messi was busy enjoying the sort of World Cup start that instantly shapes narratives. Five goals, records tumbling and another reminder that he remains football’s ultimate tournament performer meant the spotlight had shifted firmly towards Argentina’s captain. For perhaps the first time in years, Ronaldo was not the story.
Historically, that has rarely lasted long.
So when Portugal walked into Houston needing a response, there was a sense that this was about more than three points. Ronaldo needed a performance. Portugal needed a performance. And Roberto Martinez needed proof that his faith in his 41-year-old captain was not built on nostalgia.
Ninety minutes later, nobody inside a packed NRG Stadium was questioning that faith.
Ronaldo scored twice, Portugal demolished Uzbekistan 5-0 and the captain added another chapter to a career that seems to thrive whenever the noise becomes impossible to ignore.
PORTUGAL FINALLY FOUND THEIR CAPTAIN
The most encouraging aspect of Portugal’s performance was not Ronaldo’s finishing.
It was the service.
Against DR Congo, Portugal often looked like a team with too many ideas and not enough direction. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bernardo Silva all wanted to influence the game, but their creativity rarely translated into meaningful opportunities for the man leading the line.
Ronaldo spent much of that match making runs that nobody spotted and occupying spaces that nobody seemed interested in using.
Against Uzbekistan, Portugal’s midfield suddenly looked united by a simple objective: find Ronaldo.
Fernandes searched for him at every opportunity. Cancelo repeatedly targeted him from wide areas. Vitinha moved possession with far greater urgency. Instead of playing around Ronaldo, Portugal started playing through him.
The result was obvious within six minutes.
Cancelo burst down the right flank and whipped a dangerous low cross into the area. Ronaldo’s movement did the rest. One sharp dart towards the near post, one simple finish and one very familiar celebration later, Portugal had the breakthrough.
Which meant that, like Messi, Ronaldo ended the evening with a World Cup record in his pocket.
The goal made Ronaldo the first player in football history to score in six different World Cups. It also took him past Eusebio as Portugal’s leading scorer in World Cup history with 10 goals.
More importantly, it settled a Portuguese side that suddenly looked far more comfortable in possession.
Nuno Mendes doubled the advantage in the 17th minute after one of the cleverest moments of the evening. With everyone inside the stadium expecting Ronaldo to attack a free kick from the edge of the box, Mendes emerged from a different angle and fired home after Portugal’s disguised routine completely caught Uzbekistan off guard.
The game briefly threatened to take an unexpected turn when Azizjon Ganiev smashed a stunning effort into the net from distance midway through the half. The celebration did not last long. VAR spotted a foul on Cancelo during the build-up and the goal was chalked off.
Portugal quickly reclaimed control.
The third goal showcased exactly what had been missing against DR Congo. Fernandes won possession, surged forward and delivered a beautifully weighted pass into Ronaldo’s path. The captain opened his body and guided a low finish into the far corner.
The move was everything Portugal had lacked in the opener. Quick transition, purpose in possession and a midfield finally operating on the same wavelength as its captain.
For perhaps the first time at this World Cup, Portugal looked like a side built to maximise Ronaldo rather than simply accommodate him.
THE HAT-TRICK THAT GOT AWAY
While the brace brought relief, Ronaldo’s evening probably should have been even better.
For large stretches of the second half, Portugal looked almost determined to manufacture a hat-trick for their captain.
And honestly, they nearly succeeded.
The service that had been absent against DR Congo suddenly became relentless. Every attack seemed to come with an unofficial instruction attached to it: find Ronaldo.
Fernandes continued searching for his runs. Bernardo Silva joined the effort after coming off the bench. Even Portugal’s set-piece routines appeared designed to create one more chance for the captain.
There were opportunities everywhere.
One saw Ronaldo dart into the area from a cleverly disguised free-kick routine before goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov smothered the chance. Another arrived after the Uzbek goalkeeper carelessly surrendered possession, only to recover brilliantly and deny the Portuguese captain. There were shots that drifted narrowly wide, dangerous runs that stretched the defence and moments when Houston collectively rose to its feet expecting the third goal to arrive. It never did.
If anything, Ronaldo might be the only man inside the stadium who left feeling slightly disappointed.
The hat-trick escaped him. But for Portugal, the night was a significant tactical victory.
Their fourth goal arrived just after the hour mark when another dangerous set-piece created chaos inside the six-yard box. The ball eventually bounced into the net off a combination of bodies, with Nematov ultimately credited with an unfortunate own goal.
By then, Uzbekistan looked exhausted.
Fabio Cannavaro’s side had entered the game hoping to frustrate one of the tournament favourites after showing encouraging signs against Colombia. Instead, they found themselves overwhelmed by a Portugal side that had finally discovered its rhythm.
Rafael Leao completed the scoring three minutes from time, smashing home from close range after another flowing Portuguese attack.
Ronaldo became only the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history behind Roger Milla. He became the oldest player to score twice in a World Cup match. He became the first player to score in six editions of the tournament.
The records will grab the headlines, but perhaps the bigger takeaway for Portugal was how comfortable they finally looked when their midfield and captain were operating on the same wavelength.
Against DR Congo, Ronaldo often resembled a striker stranded on an island, making runs that went unnoticed and waiting for service that rarely arrived. Against Uzbekistan, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Joao Cancelo made him the focal point of almost every meaningful attack. The result was a Portugal side that looked more fluid, more purposeful and considerably more dangerous.
That connection will face a much sterner examination in the final Group K clash against Colombia.
Unlike Uzbekistan, Colombia possess the quality to punish the moments of positional confusion that still surfaced in Portugal’s midfield. They also arrive with momentum of their own and represent the toughest challenge Portugal have faced at this tournament so far.
For Roberto Martinez, that match may reveal far more about his team’s World Cup credentials than a five-goal victory ever could.
For now, though, Portugal leave Houston with momentum, confidence and a captain who has once again dragged himself back into the centre of the World Cup conversation.
A week after questions were asked about his age, his influence and whether Portugal should start planning for life beyond him, Cristiano Ronaldo responded in the way he always has.
Not with words.
With goals.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
