Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterRoy Keane has had his say on Cristiano Ronaldo's first half against Uzbekistan.The Portugal talisman officially arrived at World Cup 2026 a week late to net two first-half goals and snatch a record for scoring at six editions of the tournament, with ITV pundits discussing the first 45 minutes at half-time.And with Ronaldo the centre of attention, following Lionel Messi heroics yesterday, former team-mate Keane has spoken about Ronaldo's first-half performance.Play our FREE match predictor and win �1kRoy Keane on Cristiano Ronaldo: Why would you ever doubt him?It is amazing: Messi becomes the man with the most goals in a World Cup, and Ronaldo now becomes the first man to score in six World Cups, Keane began.Why would you ever doubt him? The guy's an amazing, amazing player; his stats are fantastic. You may like Drama around Portugal World Cup squad as Cristiano Ronaldo criticism proves divisive The numbers make the argument for Cristiano Ronaldo. Hes not in the squad because of what he was, but because his present form earns it every time Roberto Martinez on the Portuguese icons World Cup selection Cristiano Ronaldo gives Portugal easy decision about starter status, new data shows There are no surprises here: no surprises that he would turn up today. If you give him some good delivery and he hangs around there long enough, it's a brilliant finish. Obviously, he has that immense confidence, and it's amazing what he's done in the game of football over the last 20-odd years, but you can still see the relief from him there. It tells you how much he cares about the game.Ronaldo might have taken a free-kick, too, to complete a second-ever World Cup hat-trick but for Nuno Mendes taking the shot on himself and Keane reckoned that it was all a ploy from the man himself.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Yeah, well, everybody would be expecting Ronaldo to take this, the Irishman said. I think I'm the only one who didn't think he'd be taking it, as it was better suited to a left-footer.Ronaldo had already got his goal, obviously. I think if he hadn't scored yet, he'd be thinking, I'm taking this, but he leaves it to his team-mates.The goalkeeper is obviously on his heels, probably distracted by Ronaldo, but the strike just hits the target with enough pace. Again, it's not great from the goalkeeper. He's blinded himself there.Listen, he's obviously not a top-level goalkeeper. The goalkeeping seems not that great, yeah, but listen, Portugal are up and running.TOPICSCristiano RonaldoPortugalWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Mark WhiteSocial Links NavigationContent EditorMark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robsons time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
