Cristiano Ronaldo once again carved his name into football’s record books as Portugal edged Hungary 3-2 in a thrilling 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday in Budapest.
The 40-year-old superstar scored his 39th World Cup qualifying goal, drawing level with Guatemala legend Carlos Ruiz as the joint all-time top scorer in the competition’s history. Ronaldo’s second-half penalty also moved him three goals ahead of long-time rival Lionel Messi, who has 36 strikes in qualifiers.
Ronaldo, who is seeking to become the first player to feature at six different World Cups, won and converted the spot-kick in the 58th minute, driving the ball past Hungary keeper Balazs Toth to put Portugal ahead.
Earlier, Hungary stunned the visitors when Barnabás Varga headed home Zsolt Nagy’s cross to open the scoring. Portugal hit back quickly, with Bernardo Silva smashing in the equaliser six minutes later after a loose ball fell kindly in the box.
After Ronaldo’s penalty gave Roberto Martinez’s side the lead, Hungary responded again through Varga, who nodded in his second of the night with six minutes left on the clock. But Portugal hit back almost instantly — João Cancelo pounced on a defensive lapse to slot home the winner just two minutes later.
The victory maintained Portugal’s perfect start to their Group F campaign, following their 5-0 rout of Armenia on Saturday. The Nations League champions now sit top of the group with six points from two matches.
For Hungary, the defeat extended their winless run against Portugal, having never beaten them in 15 attempts. Their last World Cup appearance came in 1986.
