World Cup LIVE: Bellingham bust-up accusation as Carragher slams Tuchel | Football | Sport

Cristiano Ronaldo finally arrived at the 2026 World Cup as he netted twice in a resounding win for Portugal.

Roberto Martinez’s side romped to a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan to pick up their first win of the tournament.

Ronaldo opened the scoring before having a key role throughout the rout.

The 41-year-old revealed that he had to overcome a ‘dark week’ to enjoy the fruits of his success on Wednesday.

“God helps those who work hard. I knew my team-mates would help out too,” Ronaldo said after the Uzbekistan game.

“It was a difficult week, a dark week. It felt like I’d retired from soccer. But I hung in there, as I always do, because I believe in hard work more than anything else. It was tough, I have to admit, but we’re back.”

He added:”We’ve improved; that’s just how life is. We face setbacks during games and in life, but the main goal is always to improve.

“And that’s what we did. It was a very tough and difficult week, with public opinion being very harsh on all the players, especially on me and the coach.

“But I don’t mind. I’ve been in this profession for 23 years now, and whenever things go well, ‘Cristiano is doing great’, but when they go badly, ‘Cristiano is retired, he’s too old’. It will always be like that. But we responded well today. That’s what we wanted. We played with a high line, and when we do that, it’s hard to stop Portugal.”