Cristiano Ronaldo packed in a no-holds-barred effort as Portugal emphatically beat Uzbekistan with a pair of goals and went on to become the first player in World Cup history to score in 6 World Cups.
The 41-year-old forward had to come off the bench under pressure, after missing 10 games from the international games due to drought. But Ronaldo rebutted his critics with firecrackers, adding two goals to his tally and helping Portugal to a much needed victory in Group K.
Moments after the final whistle, exuberant Ronaldo cried “I’m back, I’m back” from his emotional vantage point in front of television cameras to celebrate his much-anticipated return to the scoresheet. He also closed the World Cup season with a brace, making him the top scorer in Portugal’s World Cup history, tied for 10th in the World’s list with Portuguese legend Eusebio.
But despite the record win, Ronaldo did not leave a stone unturned highlighting how the team has performed before the personal achievements. He complimented Portugal for their mediocre draw with DR Congo in the first game, and how much more confident and attacking the team is now.
Portugal had 17 chances to add to their lead, were they in full control of the game and Ronaldo was just 1 defender too many away against the hat-trick. Head coach Roberto Martinez approved the team’s maturity and decision-making and stated the players learnt a lot from their debut.
Portugal are five points clear of the bottom of the group table with two matches to play, but still in contention for the memorable soccer occasion should not see conditions improve against Colombia in their final group stage match with the hosts unable to defeat them in Saudi Arabia due to consecutive defeats for Uzbekistan, who sit quarter short of the championship.