Portugal will face Uzbekistan in Houston, Texas, for their second Group K match of the 2026 World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates are under pressure following their 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite being considered a title contender, Roberto Martinez's squad managed only 7 shots and one shot on target in their opening game. Joao Neves scored in the 6th minute, but Portugal conceded an equalizer and even had a lower expected goals (xG) rating than their opponent, 0.65 compared to 0.87.

Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to shoot during warm-ups before the Group K 2026 World Cup match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston, on 17/6. *Photo: AP*

Ronaldo did not score in the opening match. The 41-year-old forward has gone 10 consecutive matches across World Cups and Euros without scoring, despite taking 33 shots with a total xG of 4.5. However, Portugal is still considered superior to Uzbekistan, a team making its World Cup debut that lost 1-3 to Colombia in their first game. Nevertheless, the Asian representative showed some positive signs with an xG of 1.16, the highest for a World Cup debutant since Slovakia in 2010.

This will be the first encounter between Portugal and Uzbekistan. According to an Opta supercomputer simulation, Portugal has an 83.1% probability of winning, while Uzbekistan's chance of an upset is only 6%.

Xuan Binh