Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to have answered most of his critics with a brace against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, helping Portugal to a 5-0 victory. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after a dismal outing on Matchday 1 against DR Congo, following which former Sweden striker-turned-pundit Zlatan Ibrahimovic heavily criticized him. But to Zlatan, it appears that what Ronaldo did in Houston was not all that special, a reaction many fans found unusual.

Ibrahimovic was put in the hot seat after Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan and had a lot to say about a lot of things, except for Ronaldo. “Yeah. They got their goals. One of the Avengers got his goal,” Ibrahimovic said on the broadcast. “I’m also happy for Rafael Leão. He got a goal. For me, he’s one of the best, also when he’s performing like this.

“So it’s good for the confidence. And, uh, they got a good result here. But at the same time, don’t get overconfident because the next game is gonna be much tougher than the one today,” he added. 

So, what Zlatan took away from the game was that yes, Ronaldo scored, but it was Leao’s confidence that mattered most to him. He also had a warning for Portuguese supporters, reminding them that beating Colombia would be much more difficult. It’s not a wrong assessment, but it was his comparison to the draw against DR Congo that stood out the most.

Ronaldo was practically invisible in Portugal’s first game, and when he did get two chances to score, he missed them both. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the majority of the blame falling on Ronaldo. And few were harsher than Zlatan, and Thierry Henry was.

The French legend believed that the 41-year-old should have been more selfless in his play against Congo. In Henry’s words, “the team needs to score, not you,” which was something Zlatan reiterated, calling his positioning the “wrong choice”. Against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo proved he could do it all.

The Real Madrid legend’s opening goal of the night came from his brilliant movement in the box, which allowed him to volley Joao Cancelo’s cross into the back of the net. He then fooled the Uzbekistani defense — and the rest of the world — by acting as a decoy, allowing Nuno Mendes to catch them off guard with a free kick that was converted. Ronaldo’s second goal came from a well-timed run spotted by Bruno Fernandes, who played him through on goal to make it 3-0.

Portugal’s final two goals had little to do with Ronaldo. One came via an own goal from Abdukodir Khusanov, while the other was a brilliant finish from Rafael Leao off a Nelson Semedo assist late in the game to make it 5-0. But Ronaldo looked more involved in every aspect overall.

Against Congo, he was primarily waiting for balls to come into the box. That was not the case on Tuesday, where he was falling back, trying to win the ball, and even press the opposition defense. It was the difference between night and day when compared to his performance against Congo. Not quite prime Ronaldo-esque, but he managed to do the job.

Ibrahimovic, however, was not going to praise Ronaldo. He made sure of that. And fans, particularly Ronaldo’s, were shocked at how a supposedly unbiased pundit could do that.

One even commented on X, “How u happy for Leao but saying all that without enthusiasm? Ronaldo scoring really broke u!” That was all it took to break open the floodgates as fans hit out at the former Swedish striker.

Fans roast Zlatan Ibrahimovic over his reaction

“You might even think this is AI the way he answered,” one fan wrote.

While funny, it’s actually a trend that has defined Ibrahimovic for the majority of his career. The Swede has often been the one with the more reactionary comments. It has usually meant that his personality has stood out, often making him the center of attention. In fact, even his calling Ronaldo “avenger” fits that tone, especially considering it came with a smile.

That doesn’t mean fans even liked his reactions after Portugal’s victory, with one upset that he called Leao “one of the best” after he scored his goal.

“You can tell he has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about when he refers to Rafael Leão as one of the best,” another commented. 

Unfortunately, while harsh, the user is not entirely wrong. Once touted as a future star for Portugal, Leao has struggled to reach a consistent level. The AC Milan forward often does well but in spurts and endured a tough 2025/26 season. He netted just 10 goals in all competitions, well below his usual level. This year, he found the back of the net just three times, with his goal against Uzbekistan being his first for Portugal since November 2024. 

One fan also asked Zlatan to stay unbiased. The Swede argued that Portugal had played against a weak team, which, with all due respect to the Central Asian side, is true. But that cannot be a reason to downplay the performance.

“I’m living for the honest feedback, it fueled them to be a better team. But the feedback should be the same for Argentina, they also have been playing against weak teams,” a fan replied.

The FIFA World Cup always has upsets in store. Yes, Congo, ranked 47th, and Uzbekistan, ranked 58th, are significantly weaker teams than Portugal, ranked 7th. But at this stage of the tournament, David tends to hold his ground against Goliath more often than people realize. Cape Verde, ranked 63rd, held Spain, ranked 2nd, to a 0-0 draw earlier in the tournament. England, ranked 4th, also played out a scoreless draw against Ghana, ranked 65th, yesterday. Yet the focus was not on Harry Kane, who failed to have even a sniff at goal. So, to single Ronaldo out for his failures and then ignore his improvements in the very next game felt off to many fans.

“What do you mean by they should not get carried away? Did you say that when Argentina beat Algeria? So at Ronaldo, Bruno, Vitinha, and the rest’s level they will get carried away. Go and sit down, salty hypocrites,” another fan. 

Of course, there’s still a lot left to play for in the tournament, and Ronaldo hasn’t completely silenced his critics. His performances against stronger opponents will be heavily scrutinized, and he may have to maintain this form to prove he deserves a starting spot in this Portuguese side at his age.