Nuno Mendes hits first World Cup goal with direct free-kick for Portugal

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·24 juin 2026

Nuno Mendes hits first World Cup goal with direct free-kick for Portugal

Nuno Mendes struck a direct free-kick to put Portugal 2-0 up against Uzbekistan in Houston, registering his first World Cup goal.

As reported by L'Équipe, Cristiano Ronaldo began his run-up over a central free-kick on the edge of the box, then stepped aside for the PSG left-back.

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Mendes swept his effort into goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov’s right-hand corner in the 17th minute, doubling the lead in this group K fixture.

It was the Parisian’s first goal at a World Cup and only his second for the national team, the other coming in the 2025 Nations League final against Spain, which finished 2-2 before a 5-3 win on penalties.

The strike was also just the second direct free-kick of his career, after scoring for PSG away to Lille in October last year, a match that ended 1-1.

Source: L'Équipe