Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record in Portugal's 5-0 hammering of Uzbekistan on Tuesday, scoring at his sixth World Cup finals – a feat not even Lionel Messi has achieved.
It was perhaps fitting that Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, firing in at the near post from a Joao Cancelo ball.
The Portugal superstar grabbed his second of the game when he raced on to a well-weighted ball by Bruno Fernandes and finished coolly on 39 minutes.
It was Ronaldo's 145th goal in international football in his 230th appearance, also records. Overall, Ronaldo has now scored 10 World Cup goals, eight less than Messi.
Ronaldo was heavily criticised after an uninspiring 1-1 draw in their Group K opener against DR Congo, but they came alive under the roof at the Houston Stadium on Tuesday.
And the star striker appeared to take aim at his critics as he shouted “I’m back, I’m back” into a television camera after the final whistle.
Ronaldo, 41, appeared calmer when speaking to reporters afterwards.
"I'm very happy. But for me, the most important thing is our work and the confidence we showed," Ronaldo said.
"The team performed really well and improved a lot. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives."
Victory puts Portugal on four points and in a strong position to reach the Round of 32 with group leaders Colombia up next.
Head coach Roberto Martinez said he was happy with the response from his players following last week's stalemate with DR Congo.
"This was the response we had in the dressing room. There are times when you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament," the Spaniard told Fifa.com.
"Today we saw a team with the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match. I’m very pleased with the result."
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