Ronaldo roars back with a brace as Portugal routs Uzbekistan

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) challenges for the ball with Uzbekistan's Abdukodir Khusanov (2) during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Uzbekistan in Houston. (AP)

HOUSTON, June 24 (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo rebounded from a lackluster start to his sixth World Cup and led Portugal to a dominant victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday, renewing hope that the team is a contender for the title.

Ronaldo scored two goals to help Portugal roll to a 5-0 win and move on from its disappointing performance in the opening 1-1 draw with Congo.

"We improved,” Ronaldo said in Portuguese. "It’s life, sometimes you will have challenges, and the main goal is always to improve, and that’s what we did.”

The 41-year-old Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cup tournaments, adding another impressive accomplishment to his storied career. He was named the man of the match.

Portugal has four points in Group K. Colombia moved back atop the group with six points when it beat Congo 1-0 in Guadalajara, Mexico, late Tuesday night.

Some critics questioned whether Ronaldo should remain in the starting lineup after a forgettable performance against Congo. But coach Roberto Martínez stuck with the superstar, and his decision paid off almost immediately with Ronaldo putting the team up 1-0 in the sixth minute.

Martínez said the veterans on his team used their experience to calm the group and keep the negativity from impacting them on Tuesday.

"The discipline, the way we executed the game was fantastic,” Martínez said. "And I think that shows you that the maturity in that dressing room allowed us to use the noise positively. But easily in another dressing room, it could have been fatal.”