A historical record
Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the protagonist. The Portuguese striker scored two goals in a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan and became the first player to score in six different editions of the World Cup.
“I’m back,” he said in front of the camera after the game. His goals came in the 6th and 39th minutes, after assists from João Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes.
The 41-year-old star had been criticized for not scoring in the debut against Congo. “When things go wrong, they say I’m done,” he said. “But today we responded well.”
Coach Roberto Martínez praised his professionalism: “He has the right to feel, but his response is always to work.”
Fabio Cannavaro, Uzbekistan’s coach, warned: “If you give him an inch in the area, you are dead.”
Cristiano has 10 goals in World Cups. He surpassed Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time top scorer in the tournament. He is also the second-oldest player to score in a World Cup, behind only Roger Milla.
He shares with Lionel Messi the record of six World Cups played, but he is the only one who has scored in all of them. Messi did not score in 2010.
This could be his last World Cup. He has 145 goals with the national team, an absolute record. The match was his 230th for Portugal, the most in history.




