Cristiano Ronaldo’s legs might be on the wane but never doubt his timing. In a week that has seen him pilloried, mocked and painted as a dead-weight burden on his team-mates, he offered a reminder that this World Cup will not be the sole preserve of other men.
He did so in the only way he knows how these days – he scored a couple of goals, good ones at that, and celebrated as if a routing of Uzbekistan was the Everest of a great sporting life.
‘I’m back,’ he shouted into one camera as he left the field, and then, for the avoidance of any doubt, he shouted it again.
We might choose to giggle a little at that, but these tournaments are always enriched when the greats deliver and, to that end, what fabulous theatre it was to see Ronaldo remind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland that there is still life in the old alpha.
Had a couple of other finishes gone his way, he would have had a hat-trick, but after the inquisitions that followed Portugal’s draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo, two was plenty. Two was lift-off. Two in Houston was no problem.
And perhaps Roberto Martinez will therefore be the happiest man of all, because he is clearly terrified of dropping Ronaldo and some of the sting can leave those questions, if only for a while.
Cristiano Ronaldo starred as Portugal romped to a 5-0 victory against Uzbekistan
The great man scored two first half goals to silence his critics after a turbulent week
PERSPECTIVE
At the risk of souring the party, though, it is probably necessary to mention the quiet part out loud. Which is to say Uzbekistan have only one player from Europe’s five best leagues – Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov – and so there is room for perspective around this act of demolition.
If we were to be unkind about it, we might even remember that old classic from Neville Southall, after he watched Michael Owen celebrating after finishing past a child goalkeeper for a TV show: ‘Well done, he’s 13.’
BETTER DYNAMICS AND SHARPER SHOOTING
It is fair to query the opposition, but we shouldn’t minimise the Portuguese improvement, which was clear. Their gilded ensemble was far sharper than we saw in the opening game and so too was their figurehead.
That was clearest in Ronaldo’s first goal, not just for the crispness of his half-volley, but the subtle step between Abdulla Abdullaev and Odiljon Hamrobekov to meet Joao Cancelo’s ball to the near post. His ability in front of goal has never been doubted, of course, and nor has his nose for a chance.
We should add a word here on squad dynamics, because they have been the hot topic. In other words, have the others had a gut-full of Ronaldo? The celebrations would suggest not – he was mobbed by near enough the entirety of the Portuguese team and bench. If it felt a touch performative, along with the two renditions of his Siuuu routine, then it could be forgiven. It was his first tournament goal in 11 matches and those debates around Martinez’s deference to the past have been frenzied.
MARTINEZ AND RONALDO NOT YET IN THE CLEAR
Of course, the questions against Martinez’s judgement will only be parked temporarily. And rightly so, because Portugal can win this tournament with the right configuration, which is why the Ronaldo conversation is so important. Beating up Uzbekistan won’t change that nearly so much as a sustained performance against a proper contender, where movements will need to occur at pace and work off the ball is more important.
In this one, there was nothing about the opposition that required pressing. As such, Ronaldo was able to showcase his strengths around the box while also deferring the examination into whether too much is sacrificed from the team to accommodate one man.
Ronaldo and Portugal manager Roberto Martinez share an embrace after the match
Rafael Leao scored the Portuguese’s fifth and final goal late on – and they now face Colombia in their final group stage match
ABUNDANCE OF RICHES
Clearly, the talent in this Portuguese squad is boundless. Bruno Fernandes did a better job of recreating his Manchester United form, Joao Neves and Vitinha performed delicate surgery with their passing in the middle and Nuno Mendes was a menace in his charges from left-back.
The latter’s contribution included the creation of an early chance miscued by Ronaldo and the burying of a free-kick for 2-0. On that one, Ronaldo’s reputation worked to his team-mate’s advantage – the Uzbekistan wall was so preoccupied by the assumption of Ronaldo striking with his right foot that they left an open lane for Mendes to thread with his left.
It was a decent hit that a better goalkeeper would have saved; it was also a mildly hilarious example of opposition banking on Ronaldo’s narcissism and how that can occasionally be a gamble.
BRUNO BY KNOCKOUT
Returning to the theme of Fernandes, so maligned on social media for apparently bypassing Ronaldo in the first game, he was arguably the game’s best performer – his ball for Ronaldo’s second strike was exceptional. Perfectly weighted, it found the space behind Rustamjon Ashurmatov and met Ronaldo’s stride. The brilliantly rolled finish across Abduvohid Nematov was appropriate for the assist.
Fernandes’s impact would only continue from there – with one flicked free-kick over the wall, he caused an opportunity for Ronaldo to complete his hat-trick, only for the keeper to accidentally clatter him, and it was a low corner by Fernandes that created the carnage of the fourth, sealed by a Khusanov own goal. Rafael Leao took the fifth well, but he was never escaping the shadow already cast by the guy whose name appeared on almost every shirt in the ground.
Have you paid attention to the action so far? Try our World Cup quiz HERE.
