Colombia vs Portugal LIVE: Latest team news with Ronaldo expected to start 2026 World Cup clash

It was difficult to identify the primary emotion Cristiano Ronaldo felt when he finally ended his goalscoring drought at major tournaments.

It had been some time since he scored a penalty against Ghana in Portugal’s opening match at Qatar 2022, with 10 goalless games at World Cups and a Euros since then. For context, his old pal Lionel Messi had scored 11 World Cup goals since Ronaldo’s last one.

The roar that followed his sixth-minute opener felt like a mixture of relief, delight and an awful lot of pent-up frustration. With Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring at least twice in each of their appearances, Ronaldo was being left behind.

Not anymore.

His two goals were brilliantly taken; the first involved excellent movement at the near post to beat a dozing Abdulla Abdullaev to Joao Cancelo’s low cross, while the second saw him peel off two defenders through on goal before finding the far corner with a smart low finish.

The World Cup’s oldest ever outfield player became the first man to score at six World Cups, an exceptional feat of endurance, desire, longevity and brilliance.

He was facing an overawed and inexperienced Uzbekistan defence, which must be taken into account, but given how it appears Ronaldo will play pretty much every minute for Portugal whatever the circumstances, it was an important breakthrough for their tournament hopes, as well as being a moment of World Cup history.