“I’m back’

Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics in spectacular fashion, becoming the first player to score in six World Cups while netting twice in Portugal’s emphatic 5-0 Group K rout of Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday.

After the match the 41-year-old shouted “I’m back, I’m back” into the television cameras — an outpouring after critics had questioned his place in the team following a goal-scoring drought that had extended to 10 matches in major finals.

Allowed time and space in the box, Ronaldo was deadly in punishing an outclassed Uzbekistan as he took his overall World Cup tally to 10 goals, moving past Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading marksman at the global finals.

Ronaldo said that, while he was happy to break records, the most important thing for him was the team’s improvement ?and the confidence the players showed after a frustrating first match.

“The team performed really well and improved a lot,” he said. “As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always nice but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”

Portugal, who have four points from two games, face Colombia in their final Group K match, while Uzbekistan, teetering on the brink of elimination with no points, play DR Congo in their last outing.