Cristiano Ronaldo included in Portugal's FIFA World Cup clash against Uzbekistan despite lacklustre display against Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo was included in Portugal's starting XI for their second fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, against Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday, despite a lacklustre performance against DR Congo last week that led to calls for him to be benched.

LIVE | Portugal vs Uzbekistan, FIFA World Cup Group K match in Houston

Veteran forward Ronaldo had failed to score a single goal after missing several chances and was also accused of being selfish on the field as Roberto Martinez's side began their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Congo at the Houston Stadium.

Portugal failed to collect all three points on offer despite seizing the lead through Joao Neves in the sixth minute, with Yoane Wissa helping the Leopards level the scores in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

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Coach Martinez had vehemently defended Ronaldo despite his underwhelming performance, claiming it made "no sense" for him to be benching the "best goal-scorer in world football" after one disappointing outing.

The 52-year-old had refused to confirm whether Ronaldo would remain part of the starting lineup a day before their second group-stage outing against World Cup debutants Uzbekistan, leading to rumours of the Real Madrid and Manchester United icon starting the game on the bench.

Those rumours, however, were finally laid to rest an hour-and-a-half before the fixture at the Houston Stadium.

Ronaldo under pressure to catch up with Messi and other superstars

Ronaldo will be under pressure to finally open his account against the White Wolves considering other leading names in the tournament have been on a goal-scoring spree in the first couple of weeks.

Arch-rival Lionel Messi had begun his campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria and became the leading goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history after scoring a brace against Austria in the defending champions' second outing on Monday.

France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland, meanwhile, have scored a brace in each of their team's first two matches of the tournament.

Portugal vs Uzbekistan, FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K starting lineups

Portugal: Costa; Cancelo, Araujo, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Joao Felix, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo.

Uzbekistan: Nematov; Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov; Karimov, Shukurov, Khamrobekov, Nasrullaev; Fayzullaev, Shomurodov, Ganiev.