Cristiano Ronaldo screamed 'I'm back, I'm back' into the television cameras after scoring twice to lead Portugal to a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan in Houston. The 41-year-old had endured what he called a 'dark week' after an anonymous performance in his opening World Cup game against DR Congo, and he used his moment of redemption to fire a warning at his doubters.
'Just so you don't forget. Just so you don't forget,' Ronaldo said when asked why he shouted defiance into the cameras. 'It was a difficult, dark week. It felt like I was already retired from football, but I held on as I always do because I believe more in hard work than in football. It was difficult, I have to confess, but we're back.'
“Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice, becomes first to score in six World Cups as Portugal thrash Uzbekistan 5-0.”
The veteran's double made him the first player to score in six World Cups, surpassing Eusebio as Portugal's all-time leading scorer at the finals. He also became the second oldest scorer in tournament history, behind only Roger Milla of Cameroon.
Ronaldo, who dismissed reports of a split in the Portugal camp, insisted the team's performance was more important than his personal milestones. 'I'm very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did, the confidence we had,' he said. 'We took a lot of hits during the week, we knew that would happen. But the team worked very well, we improved a lot.'
He added: 'Bad things can turn out good, as they say. Speaking for myself, it's always nice to break records, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives. In this regard, it was to get through the qualifying round. With four points I think we've already done it.'
The result leaves Uzbekistan on the brink of elimination from the tournament, while Portugal's emphatic victory has breathed life into their campaign.