Cristiano Ronaldo ends his goal drought as rampant Portugal outclass Uzbekistan

<p>“I was asking him the other day if it’s genetic or work,” he said, coming down on the fence. “Nothing gives you a better assessment of your career than longevity in football.” Only a churl would dismiss Ronaldo’s achievement but it is fair to ask whether, in the context of Portugal’s requirements, his renaissance against such inadequate foes reveals anything. If that was so good then try it in a quarter-final against Messi and Argentina, hardly an outlandish prospect as things stand. Doubts about his suitability for tougher assignments linger and few salient topics were really settled here.</p>

<p>Even so, the half-volley that began Ronaldo’s afternoon was a new entry among this tournament’s disarming moments of genuine theatre. Nobody could really have expected him to fade out quietly. He had just been slightly too far behind a Nuno Mendes centre, making a hand signal indicating the tiny margin of inaccuracy, but there were no flaws in the timing after João Cancelo reached the byline. The near-post cutback was met emphatically from six yards by its intended recipient, who ran towards the technical area and was mobbed by what felt like every member of Portugal’s delegation.</p>

<p>It launched the best part of 60,000 phone cameras into action, if Uzbekistan’s laudably enthusiastic support are to be discounted, and soon his disciples had more to anticipate. They chanted his name expectantly after Odiljon Khamrobekov’s desperate foul on Pedro Neto conceded a free-kick just outside the penalty area. The puff of cheeks, the tightened shoulders, the paced-out backwards strides: Ronaldo had teed up the situation to his liking but left Mendes to run around the ball and whip it past the keeper, Abduvokhid Nematov.</p>

<p>So it really is a team sport. “I told Nuno: ‘Let’s trick the goalkeeper, he’ll think it’s me,’” Ronaldo said. Uzbekistan were easily gulled and, after briefly rallying with a disallowed Azizjon Ganiev blast, succumbed to the prankster in chief again. This time the conception was clearly signposted, Bruno Fernandes taking advantage of a vacant midfield and playing in Ronaldo for a comfortable angled finish.</p>

<p>There would be no fuzzy underdog tale to disrupt the day’s booming, bawling, torso-rippling headline act. A hat-trick would swiftly have ensued if Abdukodir Khusanov had not intervened dramatically after Ronaldo did well to flick another Cancelo delivery towards goal.</p>

<p>It barely needed saying that sourcing the match ball for their talisman would be high on Portugal’s second-half priorities. Shortly before the hour Ronaldo again feinted to take a free-kick before running ahead of the wall, meeting Fernandes’s chip and seeing Nematov sharply out to save. He took a blow but Uzbekistan were harmed more severely by the resulting corner. It was snaked in low by Fernandes, missing a cluster of bodies before squirming off multiple components of the unfortunate Khusanov and a flailing Nematov only managed to paw it across the line.</p>

<p>The Portugal and Aston Villa set-piece coach, Austin McPhee, joined Martínez in a touchline embrace. They had successfully executed several of the more creative items in their repertoire. “Set pieces are an obsession for Austin,” Martínez enthused.</p>

<p>That may be so but McPhee is unlikely to rival Ronaldo’s fixation on goals. The game’s remainder amounted to an exercise in whether his colleagues could find him in what, by now, was an almost comically high starting position. A shot deflected wide, another was beaten away and at the very end an effort on the stretch scuffed off target. Rafael Leão’s rising drive had the final say instead but Ronaldo, who yelled “I’m back” into the cameras, had made the loudest noise again.</p>

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

234 stories