Ronaldo roars back with two goals in 5-0 win

HOUSTON (AP):

Cristiano Ronaldo rebounded from a lacklustre start to his sixth World Cup and led Portugal to a dominant victory over Uzbekistan yesterday, renewing hope that the team is a contender for the title.

Ronaldo scored two goals to help Portugal roll to the 5-0 win and move on from their disappointing performance in the opening 1-1 draw with Congo.

“We improved,” Ronaldo said in Portuguese. “It’s life. Sometimes you will have challenges, and the main goal is always to improve, and that’s what we did.”

The 41-year-old Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments with his goals, adding another impressive accomplishment to his storied career. He was named Man of the Match.

The victory gives Portugal four points in Group K. 

Some critics questioned if Ronaldo should remain in the starting line-up after a forgettable performance in the match against Congo. But coach Roberto Martínez stuck with the superstar, and his decision paid off almost immediately, with Ronaldo putting the team up 1-0 in the sixth minute.

Ronaldo said it was a difficult week, one that was especially tough on him and his coach because most of the criticism went towards them.

“But it’s always like that. It  doesn’t matter  because it’s been 23 years on the job, and when things go well, ‘Cristiano is good,’ when things go bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, is old,'” he said. “It will always be like that. But we responded well today, me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”

Ronaldo put João Cancelo's cross into the net with his right foot to make his latest mark on history. He then made his signature celebration before running towards the bench and celebrating with his teammates.

Ronaldo got another in the 39th minute when he got a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scored with his right foot just inside the near post to make it 3-0. Nuno Mendes had made it 2-0 off a free kick in the 17th minute.

Portugal took a 4-0 lead on an own-goal in the 60th minute. Rafael Leão, who entered the game in the 83rd, extended the advantage to 5-0 in the 87th minute. He crouched down, smiled, and posed for the camera after his score.

Uzbekistan midfielder Azizjon Ganiev looked to have scored in the 30th minute, but it was overturned after a video review showed that Abbosbek Fayzullaev had fouled João Cancelo just before the play.