It was never in doubt. First, there was a goal made in Riyadh that was heard all around the world. Later, another one laid on a plate by the player of the season in the world’s most watched league.
By the end of it, Cristiano Ronaldo had broken Eusebio’s record for most goals for a Portugal player in World Cups, and become the first player to score at six of these things.
And, more importantly for narrative fans, he had now scored twice since Lionel Messi last registered a goal at a World Cup.
The 41-year-old megastar’s two-goal salvo against Uzbekistan did not so much silence the noise as amplify it. But at least it was his legion of fans who were making the racket now. After a testing first week, the haters were now on pause.
Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland might have made showy entrances to this party; Ronaldo was just fashionably late.
Even against the star-struck Uzbeks in Houston, he was initially slow to get going. He missed his kick in the fourth minute with the goal at his mercy after a fine run and cross from the left flank by Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint Germain left-back.
All that did was briefly delay the inevitable. Two minutes later, the stadium erupted when Ronaldo stole in at the near post and drilled the ball into the net after being found by Joao Cancelo.
That was an Al Hilal full-back crossing to a forward from the Riyadh city rivals Al Nassr. Gladly, they are all mates again after a fractious club campaign in the Saudi Pro League.
About half an hour later, Ronaldo added his second and Portugal’s third, after being set up by a characteristically visionary through-ball by Bruno Fernandes, the Manchester United maestro.
In between times, Ronaldo had set up a goal for Mendes, just by being present. The full-back lashed in a shot from a free-kick which Abduvohid Nematov, the Uzbek goalkeeper, did not seem to notice had gone past him. Like everyone else, he was still waiting for Ronaldo to take it.
Suffice to say, this was a flat track for Portugal, as shown by Nematov's dazed goalkeeping. All this is still new to the World Cup debutants from Central Asia. They secured qualification by holding the UAE to a goalless draw in Abu Dhabi last year.
To say this was a step up for them is understating the point. Abdukodir Khusanov, their Manchester City centre-back, is in a minority of one among players who have experience of the big time.
For example, Ronaldo’s marker, Abdulla Adbullaev, plays his club football at centre-back for Dibba, the side who finished last in the UAE Pro League in the season just gone.
His home matches are usually watched by approximately 70,120 fewer than the 70,220 who were there to see Ronaldo in the Houston Stadium.
Best of World Cup 2026 - in pictures
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Argentina's Lionel Messi becomes the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with his first strike against Austria. Reuters -
Ismaila Sarr of Senegal retrieves the ball after scoring his team's second goal against Norway. AFP -
Norway players perform the traditional rowing celebration after their 3-2 win over Senegal. Reuters -
France goalscorer Kylian Mbappe is embraced by head coach Didier Deschamps during their win over Iraq. AFP -
Cape Verde's Helio Varela gets past Uruguay's Fernando Muslera before scoring their second goal. Reuters -
Varela celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal against Uruguay in Miami. AFP -
Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain scores his team's second goal against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta. AFP -
Hossam Abdelmaguid of Egypt leaves the pitch after an injury during the match against New Zealand. EPA -
Mohamed Salah of Egypt scores his team's second goal against New Zealand in Vancouver. AFP -
Thibaut Courtois of Belgium watches the ball go past for a goal that was eventually called back during the match with Iran in Los Angeles. AFP -
Ismael Saibari of Morocco scores against Scotland at Boston Stadium. AFP -
Japan's Daichi Kamada scores his country's first goal against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico. Reuters -
Germany's Deniz Undav celebrates scoring his team's equaliser against Ivory Coast in Toronto, Canada. Reuters -
Eloy Room of Curacao makes a save against Gonzalo Plata of Ecuador in Kansas City, US. AFP -
Netherlands fans make their way to Houston Stadium before their country's match against Sweden. Reuters -
Gustaf Lagerbielke of Sweden tackles Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands in Houston, US. EPA -
Swiss fans celebrate their team's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Los Angeles, US. AFP -
Leroy Sane of Germany shows off holes cut in his socks during training in Massachusetts. Getty Images -
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and Scotland's Ben Gannon-Doak in action at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. EPA -
Croatia's Petar Musa scores his side's second goal against England at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, US. PA -
Lionel Messi walks to take a corner during the match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. AFP
In the Uzbekistan midfield was Bekhruz Karimov, an 18-year-old who was born in the season after which Ronaldo won the first of his five Ballon d’Or trophies.
They were never likely to challenge; the only debate was how many Portugal would score, and even more pertinently, how many Ronaldo would contribute.
In the final count up, it was five for the team – Khusanov scored an own goal on the hour, while substitute Rafael Leao nipped in with one before the end – of which two had fallen to Ronaldo.
All of which suggests the man who is closing in on 1,000 career goals might be worth his place in the Portugal line-up after all.
