Portugal secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Hungary in their FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Tuesday. Goals from Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Joao Cancelo saw Portugal edge past Hungary, who fought back valiantly with two goals from Barnabas Varga.

Early Drama and Portugal’s Response

Hungary took an early lead when Ferencvaros striker Varga found space in the Portuguese defense and headed in a cross from Zsolt Nagy. Despite dominating possession, Portugal found themselves trailing but responded quickly.

After Hungary’s early goal, Portugal pushed forward, and a close-range shot from Cristiano Ronaldo was brilliantly saved by Hungary’s goalkeeper Balazs Toth. Just six minutes later, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva equalized with a clinical strike into the roof of the net following a loose ball in the box.

Ronaldo’s Penalty and Varga’s Equalizer

The second half saw Portugal take the lead through Ronaldo, who won a penalty after his shot was handled by Loic Nego. Ronaldo calmly converted the penalty into the bottom-left corner, sending Toth the wrong way. With his 39th goal in World Cup qualifying, Ronaldo became the joint-top scorer in qualifying history, tying with retired Guatemala international Carlos Ruiz.

Hungary wasn’t done yet. In the 84th minute, Varga scored again with a powerful header from Nego’s cross to level the score at 2-2, keeping the game wide open.

Cancelo’s Last-Minute Strike

However, just two minutes after Hungary’s equalizer, Portugal regained the lead. Joao Cancelo, taking advantage of a high press, slotted the ball home with composure to secure the three points for Portugal.

Silva’s Reflection on the Win

Post-match, Silva acknowledged the challenge of playing against Hungary, stating, “We knew it would be complicated, we made mistakes and allowed transitions. It’s always difficult to find balance, especially against teams that defend with such a low block. The most important thing is the six points, and we took a giant step toward securing qualification for the World Cup.”

Portugal’s Solid Performance

Portugal, fresh off a 5-0 win against Armenia, dominated possession throughout the match but had to fight hard for the win. Despite conceding two goals, coach Martinez praised the team’s attitude and focus, saying, “It’s hard to win when you concede two goals, but I loved the attitude and focus. We just needed to control the game and take it where we wanted. It’s a perfect match for improvement.”

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