Portugal seeks first win of World Cup against debutant Uzbekistan amid Ronaldo struggles

Portugal's stuttering start

Portugal opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Joao Neves headed in the opening goal, but Yoane Wissa equalised just before half-time, and the Portuguese attack failed to find a winner. Cristiano Ronaldo's performance drew heavy criticism: in 90 minutes he registered zero shots on target, zero chances created, zero dribbles, and zero fouls drawn. The captain is now 10 major-tournament matches without a goal, 33 shots since his penalty against Ghana in Qatar 2022.

Internal tensions have surfaced. Some teammates publicly questioned Ronaldo's playing style, and relatives became involved, heating up the camp. Manager Roberto Martínez defended his decision to keep Ronaldo on the pitch.

“It makes no sense to take off the best goalscorer in world football in a match where you need goals.”

Ronaldo himself played down the result.

“We didn't lack anything. That's football. Portugal could have won, but we could also have lost.”

Uzbekistan's debut and the task ahead

Uzbekistan is competing at its first World Cup. In its opening match, the team lost to Colombia, conceding three goals and scoring once. Abbosbek Fayzullaev got the Asian side's goal. The team is coached by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro and is widely considered the group's underdog, with a ranking outside the top 50.

The stakes in Group K

Portugal sits third in the group with one point, while Uzbekistan is fourth with zero. With Colombia and DR Congo also in the section, defeat or another draw would seriously jeopardise Portugal's path to the knockout rounds. Only once before, in 2014, have the Portuguese failed to win either of their first two group-stage games; that tournament ended in group-stage elimination.

The match kicks off at 1 p.m. ET (19:00 CET) at Houston's NRG Stadium. It is broadcast in the United States on FOX and Telemundo, and in Spain on DAZN.