Cristiano Ronaldo admitted it had been a “dark week” after answering the critics that claimed he “had already retired from football” with a brilliant display for Portugal against Uzbekistan at the World Cup this afternoon.
Ronaldo came under fire after a largely anonymous performance in the 1-1 draw with DR Congo last week with some pundits even suggesting he should be dropped for this afternoon’s game.
Boss Roberto Martinez stuck with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star and his decision reaped dividends as Ronaldo scored twice in a 5-0 win that virtually guarantees their place in the round of 32.
The first goal saw him become the first man to score in six World Cup finals and his second meant he overtook Eusebio as Portugal’s leading scorer at the tournament with 10.
Ronaldo told Sport TV: “I know that whoever works hard, God helps him. It was a tough week, a dark one, it started as if I had retired from football.
“But I held on as I always hold on because I believe in work more than football. It was tough, I have to admit, but we came back.
“I’m very happy, but the most important thing is the work the team did, the trust we had. We took a lot of beatings during the week, we knew this was going to happen, but the team worked well, we improved a lot.
Martinez lifts pressure with big win
Like Ronaldo, Martinez had also been under pressure but his team responded superbly.
Nuno Mendes was also on target with Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abdouvakhid Nematov credited with an own goal before Rafa Leao came off the bench to add a clinical fifth late on.
He said: ”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. 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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