Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at six World Cups as his brace helped Portugal get their Group K campaign up and running with a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan.

After watching Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland enjoy superb starts to the tournament, Ronaldo produced his own star turn to help his team to the brink of a knockout spot, after they stuttered to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on matchday one.

Ronaldo's goals came either side of a wonderful free-kick from Nuno Mendes, while an unfortunate Abduvokhid Nematov own goal and a crashing finish from substitute Rafael Leao completed the rout in the second half, with Ronaldo passing up several half-chances for his hat-trick. 

After the pre-match build-up was dominated by debates around his role in the team, Ronaldo came out with a point to prove. Having flung himself at Mendes' left-wing cross and seen team-mate Bruno Fernandes go close in the opening exchanges, the 41-year-old made his mark in the sixth minute.

After Pedro Neto showcased some neat footwork on the right flank, Joao Cancelo cut the ball back from the byline towards the near post, where Ronaldo slammed a first-time finish past the helpless Nematov.

Nematov was beaten again 11 minutes later, but in a surprising manner. After Neto was felled by Odiljon Khamrobekov right on the edge of the area, Ronaldo looked primed to take the resulting free-kick. But he was a decoy for Mendes, who fired a low effort into the far corner.

Uzbekistan thought they had halved the arrears with a rocket of a strike from Aziz G'aniev, only for a VAR review to cut their celebrations short as Abbosbek Fayzullaev was deemed to have fouled Cancelo, and Ronaldo swiftly inflicted further punishment on them.

Having scampered through the centre of the field, the Premier League's leading assister Fernandes supplied a pinpoint through-ball to Ronaldo, who slotted into the far corner.

Ronaldo almost had a first-half hat-trick when Abdukodir Khusanov hooked his lobbed effort off the line, while Joao Felix was wayward with two efforts either side of the interval. 

Ronaldo went close again when Nematov smothered his attempt following a clever free-kick routine, but Portugal went 4-0 up from the resulting corner on the hour, with Fernandes' delivery flicking off Khusanov and Nematov before crossing the line.

Another big chance fell Ronaldo's way when Uzbekistan played themselves into trouble shortly after the second-half hydration break, but after juggling the ball onto his left foot, he saw his strike beaten away by Nematov.

Ronaldo was also the target of Nelson Semedo's cross in the build-up to Portugal's 87th-minute fifth, and when it was only half cleared to the feet of Leao, he thundered his strike into the top-left corner.

Ronaldo silences doubters with clinical display

There is always plenty of noise whenever Ronaldo is involved, and with Messi (five goals), Mbappe and Haaland (four each) lighting up the first two matchdays of the World Cup, his role in the Portugal set-up had been brought further into the spotlight.

But he quietened his critics by issuing a reminder of his lethal finishing ability. His first goal made it six consecutive editions of the World Cup where he has got on the scoresheet – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 – and his second took him past Eusebio as Portugal's all-time leading scorer at the finals (10 goals).

At the age of 41 years and 138 days, Ronaldo is the second-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, only behind Cameroon icon Roger Milla (42 years, 39 days versus Russia in 1994).

In addition, Ronaldo is the third player to hold the honour of being his country's youngest and oldest World Cup goalscorer (among nations with multiple scorers), after Michael Laudrup for Denmark and Messi for Argentina.

But he also stood aside at a crucial moment for his team, allowing Mendes to exploit a gap to the left side of the wall to become just the second Portugal player to score from a direct free-kick at the World Cup, after Ronaldo himself versus Spain in 2018.

Portugal ended the game with 17 shots and 2.41 expected goals, compared to Uzbekistan's seven shots and 0.25 xG, reflecting their dominance.