Portugal routs North Korea

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored.

So did Raul Meireles, Simao Sabrosa, Hugo Almeida, Liedson and Tiago (twice).

Portugal put on the most dominant performance of the World Cup on Monday, knocking in a flurry of second-half goals and routing North Korea 7-0, a win that puts Portugal on the brink of advancing to the round of 16 and means the Koreans won't make it out of group play.

"It was a great day for Portugal and Portuguese football," coach Carlos Queiroz said. "The players are really happy with the way they played, the attitude for the game, the beautiful football, the beautiful goals."

Those goals came in bunches.

Simao, Almeida and Tiago all scored early in the second half, after Meireles' 29th-minute goal gave Portugal the lead.

Liedson, substituting for Almeida, started another run with a goal in the 81st.

Ronaldo ended his goalless streak the 87th minute, and Tiago added his second goal two minutes later.

One of the world's best and most highly paid players, Ronaldo had not scored for his nation in a non-friendly match since the 2008 European Championship.

"To score 7 goals in a World Cup is not easy," said Ronaldo, who gave his man-of-the-match award to Tiago. "My teammates played very well."

The win moves Portugal into second place in Group G with 4 points, 2 behind Brazil. The Ivory Coast has 1 point, and North Korea can't advance in the tournament after two straight losses.

"This is a great result for us," Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz said. "We have to continue now."

North Korean state television aired live coverage of the Portugal match, in what was believed to be a first for a national team soccer game taking place abroad.

Talk about bad timing.

North Korea had early chances, but trouble began when Meireles latched on to a clever pass by Tiago and gave Portugal its first goal of the tournament. The score seemed to deflate the Koreans, while the Portuguese finally began to show some of the Latin flair that has made them an outside favorite to win their first championship.

"Tactically speaking, we fell apart and we couldn't block their attacks," North Korea coach Kim Jong Hun said. "It was my fault for not playing the right strategy and that is why we conceded a lot of goals."