Ronaldo makes history

Ronaldo sets record at age 40.

At home, Portugal started the game confidently but was soon doused with cold water by conceding a goal in the 9th minute. Attila Szalai took advantage of goalkeeper Diogo Costa's error to head the ball into the net of the reigning Nations League champions.

However, the joy of the Hungarian fans did not last long. In the 22nd minute, the Jose Alvalade stadium erupted when Ronaldo ran to receive a pass from Nelson Semedo, before finishing close to the goal, bringing the match back to the starting line.

In the third minute of injury time of the first half, Ronaldo spoke up again, still with a cunning run to receive a cross from the left wing by Nuno Mendes, before creating a cut-off point from close range, giving the goalkeeper no chance to block.

Ronaldo's double against Hungary put him in history as the top scorer in World Cup qualifying with 41 goals, two more than former Guatemala striker Carlos Ruiz. Lionel Messi is third on the list with 36 goals.

Currently, Argentina has finished the South American qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, "El Pulga" can only surpass Ronaldo's achievement if he plays at the age of 41. At that time, the 2030 World Cup qualifying round will begin.

As for Ronaldo, he has a chance to break his own record, because Portugal still has 2 matches left, against Ireland and Armenia respectively.

In addition, CR7 also holds the record for most goals scored at the national level (143 goals), far surpassing the next person, Messi, with 114 goals. The captain of the Portuguese team needs 52 more goals to reach the 1,000 mark.

After Ronaldo's double, the match became more exciting. Portugal missed many chances, notably two long-range shots that hit the post by Ruben Neves and Bruno Fernandes.

Hungary also had a strong moment of resistance, causing the home team's goal to shake. When the fans were thinking about an early World Cup ticket for Portugal, the away team unexpectedly equalized 2-2 in the 90+2 minute, after a close-range shot by Dominik Szoboszlai.

In the end, Portugal lost 2 points and could not get a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. The gap between "Seleccao" and the opponent is now 5 points, while there are 2 qualifying matches left.