Cannavaro Made Three Changes. Every One Made Things Worse
Cannavaro Made Three Changes. Every One of Them Made Things Worse
Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0 at NRG Stadium in Houston on June 23, 2026, in their second Group K match, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice to silence a week of criticism. Roberto Martinez made the correct call by sticking with his 41-year-old captain after a quiet opener against DR Congo. Fabio Cannavaro made three lineup changes of his own before kickoff. By full time, his defense had conceded five and looked worse with every passing substitution.
Portugal finished with 2.61 expected goals to Uzbekistan’s 0.24, a gap so wide it barely needs the scoreline to make the point. This was a rout from the sixth minute onward, the kind of result that ends arguments rather than starts them.
Here is the decision that gets Martinez through tonight cleanly: keeping faith with Ronaldo after a tournament-opening draw against DR Congo had pundits openly questioning his place in the side. Ronaldo had gone thirteen major tournament appearances without a non-penalty goal heading into this match, a run that invited exactly the kind of scrutiny a 41-year-old forward dreads. Martinez ignored the noise. Ronaldo needed six minutes to silence it, sliding home a near-post finish from Joao Cancelo’s cutback to become the first player to score across six different World Cups. He added a second just before the half-hour, racing onto Bruno Fernandes’s through ball to make it three-nil before halftime arrived. The logic behind sticking with experience over reactionary change paid off in spectacular fashion.
Cannavaro’s decision to make three changes to his own starting lineup, bringing in Nematov, Karimov, and G’aniev after the opening defeat to Colombia, was not unreasonable as an attempt to find fresh energy. The trouble is that every alteration looked worse rather than better as the match wore on. Nematov, restored in goal, ended the night having conceded five times and credited with a goals-prevented figure of minus 1.51, the kind of number that tells you a goalkeeper was beaten by shots he should have had some chance against. The own goal that made it four-nil in the 60th minute summed up the night completely: a low Fernandes delivery deflected awkwardly off Khusanov before Nematov appeared to get the faintest of unlucky touches himself.
The number that follows Cannavaro out of Houston and into Uzbekistan’s final group match is stark. Nine shots on target faced, five goals conceded, and an expected goals against figure of 2.61 that Portugal nearly matched in actual output. Aziz G’aniev did produce one moment of real quality, a thumping strike from 25 yards that briefly had the away end believing in something, only for VAR to rule it out for a foul in the buildup. That one flash of brilliance does not undo a back line that offered no resistance for ninety minutes.
Make no mistake, this was not Uzbekistan running into bad luck. This was a team that conceded seven goals across two matches and looked outclassed in almost every department, from duels won to passing accuracy to shots on target.
Martinez now faces the harder question that victory tends to obscure. Portugal still showed defensive sloppiness of their own, conceding chances on the counter even while four and five goals clear, and Colombia await in the final group match having already secured six points from two wins. A response built on Ronaldo’s brilliance and Uzbekistan’s collapse will not be available against an opponent playing for first place in the group.
There is no job under threat in Lisbon tonight, not after a result this comprehensive. Cannavaro’s position carries more weight, given Uzbekistan’s tournament debut has produced zero points and a minus-seven goal difference heading into a final match against DR Congo. Martinez leaves Houston with his captain rejuvenated and his critics quieted, at least for one week. Cannavaro leaves wondering whether any lineup he picks can stop the bleeding before his side’s first World Cup ends without a single point to show for it.