Cristiano Ronaldo has gone three matches without scoring heading into Portugal‘s clash with Uzbekistan, and the pressure around that drought has turned genuinely uncomfortable pundits have openly called for him to be dropped, and some of his own fans have been harassing his Portugal teammates online for not setting him up more. At 41 and almost certainly playing his final World Cup, Ronaldo now faces the clearest statistical opportunity of the tournament so far to answer his critics: Uzbekistan, a World Cup debutant side already beaten 3-1 by Colombia, sit bottom of Group K with the tournament’s thinnest attacking resistance. This preview looks at exactly how serious the criticism has become, what the underlying numbers say about Ronaldo’s form, and why this match represents a genuine inflection point for his Portugal career.
| Detail | Information |
| Match | Portugal vs Uzbekistan, Group K, Matchday 2 |
| Date & Time | June 23, 2026 — 1:00 PM ET |
| Venue | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| Ronaldo’s tournament goals | 0 in 3 appearances |
| Ronaldo’s xG vs DR Congo | 0.97 — a clear chance he didn’t convert |
| Portugal’s standing | 2nd in Group K, 1 point, level with DR Congo |
How Serious Has the Criticism Gotten
This isn’t ordinary post-match grumbling. Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Matchday 1 has produced a genuinely ugly fan reaction, with some of Ronaldo’s supporters targeting his own Portugal teammates online for what they perceived as a lack of service to their captain. Separately, Ronaldo himself drew criticism after a disallowed João Cancelo goal, when footage showed him appearing to signal to the referee that a teammate was offside a gesture some pundits read as more concerned with protecting his own statistics than supporting the team. NBC Sports even ran a segment specifically asking whether Ronaldo could end up costing Portugal the tournament, a question that would have been unthinkable about a player of his stature even a few years ago.
None of that context shows up in a simple betting-market preview, but it’s the backdrop against which this Uzbekistan match is actually being played. Roberto Martínez has continued to start Ronaldo despite the goal drought, citing his movement and hold-up play as still valuable to Portugal’s structure, but that patience has a shelf life if the goals don’t start coming soon.
What the Numbers Actually Say
The underlying data tells a more sympathetic story than the criticism suggests. Ronaldo generated 0.97 expected goals against DR Congo, essentially a clear-cut chance by the model’s own standard, and simply didn’t convert it. That’s a finishing slump rather than a sign he’s no longer getting into good positions a meaningfully different problem, and one far more likely to correct itself than a wholesale decline in quality would be. Betting markets seem to agree: Ronaldo sits at the top of the anytime-goalscorer odds for this match, priced as the player most likely to break his drought against Uzbekistan specifically.
Portugal’s broader attack has actually functioned reasonably well without him finishing chances. Francisco Conceição and Pedro Neto have each contributed goals and assists in the team’s recent matches, and Bruno Fernandes arrives in career-best form after a record-breaking 21-assist Premier League season. The team isn’t short of creators — it’s specifically waiting on its most famous forward to start finishing again.
Why Uzbekistan Is the Right Opponent at the Right Time
If there’s a match built to end a goalscoring drought, this is close to it. Uzbekistan have lost three straight matches against quality opposition Colombia, Netherlands, and Canada — conceding seven goals across that stretch, and managed just one shot on target in their World Cup opener against Colombia. Coach Fabio Cannavaro, a World Cup winner himself as a player in 2006, has built a defensively organized side around standout center-back Abdukodir Khusanov, but defensive solidity alone hasn’t been enough to keep Uzbekistan competitive against teams with genuine attacking depth.
Portugal are priced as heavy favorites for good reason: a roster including Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leão, and Gonçalo Ramos represents one of the deepest forward lines at the tournament, and Uzbekistan’s recent matches suggest they’re more likely to be overwhelmed than to spring an upset.
What Happens If the Drought Continues
A second straight match without a Ronaldo goal would sharpen every question already being asked, and likely intensify calls from pundits and fans alike for Martínez to consider his options off the bench, where João Félix and Gonçalo Ramos are both pushing for more minutes. Conversely, a goal here even a simple one against a struggling opponent would likely defuse most of the surrounding noise heading into Portugal’s decisive final group match against Colombia.