Cristiano Ronaldo has made World Cup history after putting Portugal ahead against Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo’s place in the Portugal XI was called into question by sections of the media following a quiet game in the World Cup 2026 opener against DR Congo last week.
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However, Roberto Martinez jumped to the defence of his captain in the pre-match press conference.
He said: “Cristiano is in the national team on merit. Nobody gets into the national team by just having a name. On the field, he's a player who draws defenders and creates space for others, and for us, that's really important.
“It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in world football out in a game that you need goals.
“A player's main weakness is usually when they don't show enough effort or don't have the right mindset.
“A player who doesn't show commitment or the right attitude isn't selected for the national team."
As expected, Martinez kept faith in Ronaldo for Tuesday evening’s clash against Uzbekistan at the Houston Stadium, with that faith being rewarded inside six minutes.
Showing brilliant movement inside the penalty area, Ronaldo got across his marker at the front post and swept home Joao Cancelo’s cross to break the deadlock.
With that goal, Ronaldo has become the first player to score in SIX different World Cups. His first came 20 years ago against Iran as he converted a penalty in the 80th minute to give Portugal a 2-0 win.
Ronaldo had the opportunity to double his tally at World Cup 2026 shortly after his opener, but handed over free-kick duty to Nuno Mendes and he found the bottom corner to give Portugal a dream start in Texas.
