Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup goal hunt takes off in Houston

Cristiano Ronaldo ended an unprecedented goal drought for Portugal with a brace in the first half of their Group K contest in the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uzbekistan in Houston.

The Portuguese talisman opened the scoring with a cunning finish in the 6th minute. He tucked away another with finesse in the 39th minute. Given the two smart finishes, it is hard to imagine how Ronaldo struggled to find the back of the net in 10 previous major tournament matches for his country.

For his opener, Ronaldo outfoxed a pair of Uzbek defenders with a timely run as Joao Cancelo crossed from the right. His powerful right-foot shot at the near post had the panache of a poacher in his prime, only he isn't one.

At 41, Ronaldo is the second-oldest goal scorer at FIFA World Cups, after the timeless Cameroonian Roger Milla, who was 42 when he netted against Russia in 1994. Ronaldo's previous World Cup goal came from the penalty spot against Ghana in 2022.

In Portugal's tournament opener against DR Congo, Ronaldo had cut a sorry figure. It seemed like he was in for more humbling on the evidence of the first five minutes against the Central Asians.

Ronaldo was rooted to a spot when Bruno Fernandes cut back sharply from inside the box in the second minute. He was a tad late on the stretch two minutes later when Nuno Mendes crossed from the left. But Ronaldo was back in his sanctuary in a jiffy, reminding the world that he didn't secure five Ballon d'Or crowns by fluke.

Yet, on his record-equalling sixth World Cup appearance, Ronaldo is not close to his nemesis, Messi, who has been scoring at will; a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. Messi has 18 goals in World Cups, while Ronaldo has only just entered double digits. Oh, and the Argentine wizard has also got a World Cup in his bag.