Cancelo strikes late as Portugal edge Hungary 3-2 in World Cup Qualifier

Portugal made it two wins from two in World Cup qualifying Group F after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday, sealed by Joao Cancelo’s late strike. Cristiano Ronaldo also found the net from the penalty spot to move level with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz as the joint-top scorer in World Cup qualifiers with 39 goals.

Hungary struck first in the 21st minute when Barnabas Varga powered home a header from Zsolt Nagy’s pinpoint cross. Portugal responded through Bernardo Silva, who finished from close range 15 minutes later, before Ronaldo put the visitors ahead just before the break. The 40-year-old converted a penalty after Varga was penalised for handball, extending his international record to 141 goals in 223 appearances.

Hungary looked set to snatch a point when Varga grabbed his second of the night with a header six minutes from time. But Portugal showed resilience, hitting back almost immediately as Cancelo rifled in a first-time effort from outside the box following a Silva assist.

Reflecting on the victory, Silva praised his side’s mentality: “It’s never easy once you fall behind, and we showed a lot of character, just like against Germany and Spain (in the Nations League) in June when we were losing but managed to come back. Today, once again against a tough team, we managed to come back. Even when they scored after 80-something minutes, we still managed to score the winner.”

The result leaves Portugal top of the group with six points after their 5-0 triumph in Armenia on Saturday. Armenia sit second with three points after beating Ireland 2-1, while Hungary and Ireland remain on one point each.

SportsLigue