Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their first goal on June 23, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
For generations of Uzbek football fans, Cristiano Ronaldo was the dream. His shirts filled the bazaars of Tashkent and Samarkand, and his celebrations were copied in every playground. On Tuesday, those supporters finally had the chance to watch their own nation face the man. For many in the stands, it was a dream and a disappointment rolled into one.
Ronaldo found his scoring boots, but the goals came against the country that had long celebrated him from afar. He scored twice in a 5-0 victory for Portugal, which found the response it desperately needed through the man who remains, as ever, the central character in every team he plays for.
Within the first five minutes, Ronaldo had come agonisingly close to breaking his drought. But he was a fraction late to meet a teasing Nuno Mendes cross.
The wait, however, did not last long.
In the sixth minute, Ronaldo finally found the goal he had been searching for. Reacting quickest to a Joao Cancelo cutback, he darted ahead of his marker and bundled home the finish that put Portugal’s World Cup campaign back on track.
The release of tension was impossible to miss from the stands. Relief and defiance flashed across the impassive face of the veteran as he sprinted towards the bench in celebration. Arms outstretched, he embraced teammates and staff, a response directed as much at his critics as the crowd.
Mendes doubled Portugal’s advantage soon after, whipping in a free-kick through a gap in the Uzbek barrier. It was a goal that would have left Uzbek coach Fabio Cannavaro, the last defender to win the Ballon d’Or, unimpressed with the composition of his defensive wall.
Uzbekistan briefly believed it had found a way back. In the 29th minute, Aziz Ganiev unleashed a stunning strike from outside the box to beat an outstretched Diogo Costa. But a VAR review ruled it out after officials had spotted a foul on Cancelo in the build-up.
Ronaldo struck again in the 39th minute, the move beginning with a trademark Bruno Fernandes surge. Spotting his captain’s run, the Manchester United midfielder rolled a precise through ball into space and Ronaldo, staying a whisker onside, calmly tucked his finish beyond Abduvohid Nematovto put Portugal firmly in command.
Portugal’s fourth arrived on the hour mark when Fernandes’ corner caused chaos in the six-yard box. Ronaldo’s near-post flick brushed Abdukodir Khusanov and spun beyond Nematov for an own goal causing further misery to Uzbekistan. A one-touch finish from Rafael Leao, three minutes from time, added to the scoreline.
The Uzbek faithful had finally met their hero, but the reunion brought more pain than joy.
Published – June 24, 2026 01:04 am IST
