Overview
Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team will enter the match against Uzbekistan at the Houston stadium with the determination to prove their strength after a disappointing opening match at the 2026 World Cup.
Considered one of the bright candidates for the championship, Roberto Martinez's team started the campaign with a 1-1 draw against DRC Congo.
Joao Neves opened the score right from the 6th minute, but that was also Portugal's only shot on target in the whole match. Notably, the European representative also had a lower expected goal difference (xG) than their opponent, 0.65 compared to 0.87, before Yoane Wissa scored the equalizer, causing them to drop victory.
As usual, Ronaldo was the focus of all attention. However, the 41-year-old striker continued to experience a forgettable match when all three of his shots were not on target.
Ronaldo has currently gone through 10 consecutive matches without scoring in major tournaments, including the World Cup and EURO. During that time, he launched 33 shots and achieved a xG of up to 4.5 but still could not find the opponent's net.
If only counting live ball situations, Ronaldo's series of goalless matches in major tournaments has extended to 13.
The draw against Congo also puts Portugal at risk of not winning both opening matches of a second World Cup in history. The last time that happened was at the 2014 World Cup, when they lost to Germany 0-4 and drew with the USA 2-2 before being eliminated from the group stage.
However, the first match also showed a paradox in Portugal's playing style. They controlled the ball 75.4%, made 783 passes with an accuracy rate of 92.5% - the highest numbers of this team in World Cup history.
However, Portugal only launched seven shots, their lowest record in the finals. They even faced more shots than their opponents despite controlling the ball over 70%, something that has never happened to any team at the World Cup since 1966.
On the other side, Uzbekistan is in a difficult position after a 1-3 defeat to Colombia in their World Cup debut. This result extends the all-loss streak of the team led by Fabio Cannavaro to three, after defeats to Canada and the Netherlands in friendly matches preparing for the tournament.
However, Uzbekistan still has positive points to cling to. The xG index of 1.16 against Colombia is the highest achievement of a team in their World Cup debut since Slovakia in 2010, and also the best number of an Asian representative participating in the World Cup for the first time since Kuwait in 1982.
However, against a Portugal that is eager for victory and possesses a superior squad, Uzbekistan will face a much bigger challenge than the match against Colombia.
Head-to-head record
This match will mark the first time Portugal and Uzbekistan have met in history.
Notably, Portugal has not won in the last two encounters with AFC representatives at the World Cup, when they drew 1-1 with Iran at the 2018 World Cup and lost to South Korea 1-2 at the 2022 World Cup.
Score prediction: Portugal 4-1 Uzbekistan
The match between Portugal and Uzbekistan takes place at 0:00 AM on June 24 (Vietnam time).
