Cristiano Ronaldo finally honored a promise following the 2-2 tie between Portugal and Hungary during the World Cup qualifying match on the early morning of October 15 (Vietnam time).
Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo seemed on the verge of securing a ticket to the 2026 World Cup when leading Hungary 2-1 until the final minutes. However, Dominik Szoboszlai scored an equalizer in the 91st minute, forcing coach Roberto Martinez’s team to postpone their celebration for at least one more match.
Despite the disappointing result, it was still a memorable night for Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr star scored twice, becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifiers. After the match, he expressed pride in breaking this record and urged the entire team to “complete the mission of qualifying for the World Cup” in their next match in November.
For Szoboszlai, the night in Lisbon was even more unforgettable. The handsome Liverpool star has long admired Ronaldo and first met him in 2009 as a mascot boy. In their previous encounter between the two teams, Szoboszlai asked for Ronaldo’s jersey but was refused because CR7 had already given it to someone else. Ronaldo promised to give him a jersey next time—and he kept that promise. After the 2-2 draw, Szoboszlai smiled and told reporters: “Yes, I got it.”
Not only did Szoboszlai get to swap jerseys with his idol, but he also delivered an outstanding performance with a goal and an assist. He shared after the game: “We started well, fought hard, and even though we had some slow moments, the whole team overcame them. The substitutes contributed greatly; I’m proud of them. I couldn’t rush to the near post anymore, so I moved away; how many legs the ball passed through, I don’t know, I only know it ended up in the net. After such a start, the match couldn’t end any other way. Now we will prepare for the November matches.”
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes admitted Portugal’s disappointment at losing the win in stoppage time: “It’s frustrating not to win, but we know what we need to do next, which is to win to secure World Cup qualification. We controlled the game well, created many chances, but rushed into counterattacks and lost our rhythm. Our strength is ball control and pressing the opponent, not opening the field wide to race in speed. Each match is a lesson, and if we beat Ireland, we will achieve our goal. Anyway, Portugal remains one of the top contenders for the World Cup title.”
According to the schedule, Portugal will officially qualify if they beat the Republic of Ireland on November 13. Meanwhile, Hungary still has a chance to take second place if they win against Armenia and Ireland loses to Portugal. In the final round of Group F, Portugal will face Armenia, and Hungary will play against the Republic of Ireland.