João Cancelo galloped down the right flank and delivered the fifth cross of the game inside six minutes. It certainly was a purposeful ploy to pepper the Uzbekistan box with crosses. The message seemed clear: supply Cristiano Ronaldo and he would deliver. In fact, he dispatched emphatically. The snarl, the stare - he meant business.

Messi had scored a brace last evening for Argentina - becoming the highest goal scorer in World Cup history. His Portuguese rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, made history of his own less than 24 hours later. He became the first player ever to score in six different World Cups.

Portugal had their foot on the accelerator and were not relenting. Khamrobekov diced with danger and his foul on the edge of the box resulted in a free-kick, which made it 2-0. This time Ronaldo served as a decoy and Nuno Mendes, the unsung hero of the first half, fired it in to fierce effect.

Not for the first time, Portugal caught the Uzbekistan midfield and flooded forward with ferocious intent on the counter-attack. Bruno Fernandes found his laser-like senses and put a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Ronaldo, who finished coolly. Portugal were purring.

 Cancelo and Portugal’s blushes were spared by VAR. Fayzullaev pickpocketed the fluid full-back, before Ganiev rifled in a ripper. But after going over to the monitor for further inspection, the Moroccan referee chalked the goal off. A warning sign for Portugal nonetheless.

Just before the 60th minute mark, Portugal scored their fourth. It was again another set piece that proved pivotal.  Fernandes was unsurprisingly at the heart of it once more. Khusanov got the fatal touch.

Rafael Leão came off the bench to thump in a fifth - rounding off what could only be described as a five-star display.

Portugal’s first chance of the half came through a clever routine out of the set-piece catalogue.  Fernandes floated a deft dink to  Ronaldo, who was thwarted by the onrushing goalkeeper.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, which would have pleased Roberto Martínez, as against Congo complacency had crept in.

After the frustration of being held by DR Congo in their opening match, Portugal responded exactly as the top sides were expected to. There had been questions surrounding  Ronaldo’s place in the side and whether the veteran still had the ability to lead Portugal on the biggest stage, but he answered those doubts emphatically. His brace set the tone as Portugal produced the ruthless response many had anticipated.

What stood out most was the variety in Portugal’s attack. They caused problems from wide areas through Cancelo, found joy through the middle with Fernandes’ creativity, and even used Ronaldo’s movement as a decoy to create opportunities for others.  Mendes’ goal was a perfect example of a side packed with match-winners, showing Portugal were far more than a one-man team despite Ronaldo inevitably grabbing the headlines.

Perhaps most importantly, Portugal played with the authority expected of genuine contenders. They controlled large spells of the game, punished mistakes, and quickly extinguished any hope Uzbekistan had of causing an upset. With their blend of experience, quality and depth, this felt like a performance that reminded the rest of the tournament exactly why Portugal had arrived in North America with ambitions of lifting the World Cup for the first time.

Uzbekistan’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages appeared to have been hanging by a thread after a second consecutive defeat, with their fate resting on other results. Confirmation of their elimination still depended on the outcome of the DR Congo and Colombia clash, but the reality was that their World Cup journey was likely nearing its conclusion. Despite that, the bigger picture was not lost amid the disappointment of the scoreboard.

For a nation making its World Cup debut, simply reaching that stage represented a landmark achievement. Uzbekistan arrived in North America having finally broken through after years of near misses and heartbreak in qualification. Their presence at the tournament was a testament to the steady growth of football in the country and served as another example of Asian football’s increasing strength on the global stage.

While the results had not fallen their way, Uzbekistan showed moments of the quality and bravery that had carried them to the finals. Their journey provided invaluable experience for a squad that would benefit from testing itself against some of the world’s elite. Regardless of what happened next, Uzbekistan had helped continue the rise of Asian football and had given their supporters a moment in history that would be remembered long after this tournament had come to an end.