Ronaldo makes World Cup history with sixth-tournament goal

The 41-year-old forward scored in the sixth minute of the Group-stage match when João Cancelo delivered a cross that Ronaldo converted with a right-footed strike to give Portugal a 1-0 lead. He celebrated the milestone with his teammates near the bench.

The goal also made Ronaldo the second-oldest player to score in a World Cup, behind Cameroon's Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored during the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Ronaldo's latest feat came after criticism over his failure to score in Portugal's opening 1-1 draw with Congo.

Earlier this year, Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the first male players to appear in six World Cup tournaments.

Ronaldo's World Cup scoring run began in his debut tournament in 2006 and continued with goals in the 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions.

Although he shares the record for the most World Cup appearances with Messi, Ronaldo stands alone as the only player to score in each of his six World Cup campaigns, as Messi did not score during the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Tuesday's strike took Ronaldo's World Cup tally to nine goals.

Messi, meanwhile, has 18 World Cup goals after scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening match and adding two more goals against Austria on Monday, making him the tournament's all-time leading scorer.

The match against Uzbekistan marked the 230th international appearance of Ronaldo's career, extending his record for the most international matches played by any footballer.

The 2026 World Cup is widely expected to be Ronaldo's final appearance at the tournament. The Portuguese star won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and has claimed five UEFA Champions League titles with Manchester United and Real Madrid, reports UNB.