HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� Cristiano Ronaldo rebounded from a lackluster start to his sixth and led Portugal to a dominant victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday, renewing hope that the team is a contender for the title.
Ronaldo to help Portugal roll to the 5-0 win and move on from its disappointing performance in the .
鈥淲e improved,鈥� Ronaldo said in Portuguese. 鈥淚t鈥檚 life, sometimes you will have challenges and the main goal is always to improve and that鈥檚 what we did.鈥�
The 41-year-old Ronaldo 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. Colombia, which has three points in the group, plays Congo on Tuesday night in Guadalajara.
Some critics questioned if Ronaldo should remain in the starting lineup after a forgettable performance in the match against Congo. But coach Roberto Mart铆nez stuck with the superstar and his decision paid off almost immediately with Ronaldo putting the team up 1-0 in the sixth minute.
Mart铆nez said the veterans on his team used their experience to calm the group and keep the negativity from impacting them on Tuesday.
鈥淭he discipline, the way we executed the game was fantastic,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淎nd I think that shows you that the maturity in that dressing room allowed us to use the noise in a positive way. But easily in another dressing room it could have been fatal.鈥�
Ronaldo said it was a difficult week, one that was especially tough on him and his coach because most of the criticism went toward them.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 always like that, it doesn鈥檛 matter, because it鈥檚 been 23 years on the job and when things go well, 鈥楥ristiano is good,鈥� when things go bad, 鈥楥ristiano is a retired player, is old,’鈥� he said. 鈥淚t will always be like that. But we responded well today, me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.鈥�
Ronaldo put Jo茫o Cancelo’s cross into the net with his right foot to make his latest mark on history. He then made his signature SIUUU celebration before running toward 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 Le茫o, 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 Abbosbek Fayzullaev fouled Jo茫o Cancelo just before the play.
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro, whose team is playing at the World Cup for the first time, took responsibility for the loss.
鈥淲e lost 5-0 today because I made mistakes, not them,鈥� said the coach, who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup title.
While Mart铆nez kept Ronaldo as a starter, he did make two changes to the lineup. He benched midfielder Bernardo Silva for Jo茫o F茅lix and started defender R煤ben Dias, who sat out the opener with an injury, over Tomas Ara煤jo.
Ronaldo had a great chance to score in the fourth minute when he took a cross from Mendes and just missed with his right foot as he slid to the grass. He shook his head and made a hand gesture indicating it was close. But it wasn鈥檛 long before he scored put Portugal on top.
He had a chance for a hat trick at the end of second-half injury time, but his shot was just off.
Uzbekistan next plays on Saturday night in Atlanta against Congo. Portugal鈥檚 final group match is against Colombia on Saturday night in Miami.
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