Cristiano Ronaldo became the first first player to ever score at six different World Cups with his brace in Portugal’s thumping 5–0 victory over Uzbekistan in Houston. Ronaldo’s underperformance had dominated the discourse after an opening draw with DR Congo, but the veteran responded with an emphatic finish after just six minutes against Uzbekistan to quieten the noise and fire Portugal ahead. The Al Nassr striker then doubled his tally before the break to offer Portugal an unassailable three-goal advantage, with an excellent free kick from Nuno Mendes sandwiched in between Ronaldo’s clinical brace. Abdukodir Khusanov‘s unfortunate own goal on the hour mark and Rafael Leão‘s late strike extended Portugal‘s lead, its five-goal haul underlining an utterly dominant display. The victory means the nation is all but guaranteed progression to the last 32, while also putting it in a commanding position to top Group K. One Thing We Can’t IgnoreRonaldo (middle) returned to the scoresheet, | Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty ImagesThe pressure on Ronaldo had reached uncomfortable levels after an anonymous performance against DR Congo was compounded by the goalscoring brilliance of Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland elsewhere. International soccer’s record goalscorer had been labeled the barrier to success for Portugal in its search for a first-ever world title. Ronaldo evidently took widespread criticism of his performance and role within this Portugal team personally. Just six minutes had elapsed before the 41-year-old sent a message to his doubters, Ronaldo’s penalty-box instincts were on full show as some neat movement toward the near post was matched by a lethal finish. Another statement was delivered just before halftime, a second tidy strike putting the cherry on a clinical display first-half display from Portugal.Ronaldo managed just 13 touches before halftime, of which only four were inside the area, but he once again underscored his quality as an utterly ruthless goalscorer when provided proper service. Portugal was intent on feeding him at every opportunity, flashing cross after cross into the Uzbekistan box, and that brought the best out of the talismanic forward. Debate over Ronaldo’s influence for his country—both positive and negative—will rage on, but a devastating display in Houston has certainly silenced the naysayers for the moment. Martínez is determined to continue building around the former Real Madrid and Manchester United icon, and Tuesday was an example of how effective that strategy can still be. Portugal Player Ratings vs. Uzbekistan (4-2-3-1)Bruno Fernandes (left) was hugely impressive. | Hakan Akgun/Anadolu/Getty Images*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: Diogo Costa—8.2: Some questionable distribution aside, Costa came through the match untroubled.RB: João Cancelo—7.8: Portugal‘s flying fullbacks created countless overloads with their forward forays, and Cancelo showcased his precision in possession with an excellent assist for the opener. CB: Rúben Dias—7.8: Uzbekistan offered little serious threat to Portugal’s defense, Dias never needing to escape second gear. CB: Renato Veiga—7.4: Like his central defensive partner, Veiga waltzed to fulltime without having to break sweat. LB: Nuno Mendes—8.8: Operates with such vim and tenacity, traits which Uzbekistan were unable to subdue. An all-action display was capped by a rare free kick goal thrashed beyond Abduvohid Nematov.CM: João Neves—7.3: Helped his Paris Saint-Germain clubmate dominate the midfield battle without ever being forced to really exert himself. CM: Vitinha—7.2: Dictated the tempo in the midfield double pivot, seldom misusing a pass when orchestrating Portuguese attacks. RW: Pedro Neto—6.8: Characteristically energetic with every action, which included winning the free kick from which Mendes scored. Impressed before being withdrawn at the break. AM: Bruno Fernandes—8.2: Exhibited the playmaking abilities which saw him break the Premier League assist record last season, teeing up Ronaldo’s second with an inch-perfect through ball and forcing the own goal with a teasing delivery from a corner. LW: João Félix—7.2: Created major issues for Uzbekistan as a willing dribbler, either from wide positions or when drifting more centrally. ST: Cristiano Ronaldo—9.1: A deadly display reminded audiences of his class, offering the perfect confidence boost heading into more challenging matches later in the tournament. SUB: Nélson Semedo (46’ for Cancelo)—6.6: One of Semedo’s easiest halves for Portugal. SUB: Francisco Conceição (46’ for Neto)—7.3: Once again impressed from the bench with his direct approach and searing speed. SUB: Francisco Trincão (64’ for Félix)—6.4: Unable to cause Uzbekistan too much trouble. SUB: Bernardo Silva (76‘ for Neves)—6.4SUB: Rafael Leão (83‘ for Vitinha)—N/ASubs not used: José Sá (GK), Rui Silva (GK), Diogo Dalot, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Nunes, Tomás Araújo, Rubén Neves, Samú, Gonçalo Guedes, Gonçalo Ramos. What the Ratings Tell UsPortugal’s fullbacks were terrific. | Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images.Portugal had lacked attacking spark in its tame stalemate with DR Congo, but Martínez’s fullbacks ensured there was no repeat of those struggles. Mendes was on the scoresheet and João Cancelo grabbed an assist in Houston, and the duo were relentless in bombing up and down the flank to engineer space against a five-man Uzbekistan defense. Few nations boast better options at fullback than the Seleção das Quinas.Bruno Fernandes was operating close to his creative peak on Tuesday. A delightful assist for Ronaldo was followed by an enticing corner which ultimately ended with an own goal after the restart, the Man Utd star conducting an eye-catching attacking display from the Iberians. The Numbers That Explain Portugal’s Commanding WinPortugal was in complete control of the encounter from start to finish, particularly unnerving Uzbekistan with its attacking play. It managed nine shots on target and created seven big chances.Fabio Cannavaro’s minnows didn‘t create much of note against Portugal, conjuring just 0.25 expected goals throughout. Ronaldo took his World Cup goal tally to 10 against Uzbekistan, leapfrogging Eusébio as Portugal‘s most prolific scorer in the tournament‘s history. StatisticPortugalUzbekistanPossession66%34%Expected Goals (xG)2.410.25Total Shots177Shots on Target92Big Chances70Passing Accuracy90%81%Fouls Committed1415Corners32READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow