BUDAPEST: Joao Cancelo slotted home from the edge of the box to snatch Portugal a thrilling 3-2 win at Hungary on Tuesday, sending them top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target as Roberto Martinez’s side secured their second win from their two opening games against the spirited hosts, for whom Barnabas Varga netted twice in Budapest.
Portugal lead Group F on six points from Armenia on three after their win over the Republic of Ireland earlier.
“We knew it would be complicated, we made mistakes and allowed transitions,” said Bernardo Silva, who levelled for Portugal after Varga opened the scoring.
“It’s always difficult to find balance, probably one of the hardest things in football, especially against teams that defend with such a low block.
“Above all, it is a young team that is still growing, but the most important thing is the six points, and we took a giant step toward securing qualification for the World Cup.”
Nations League champions Portugal were high on confidence after thumping Armenia 5-0 on Saturday and dominated possession.
However, it was Hungary who took the lead as Ferencvaros striker Varga found a gap in Portugal’s defense and nodded home Zsolt Nagy’s cross.
Portugal responded by pouring forward and Hungary goalkeeper Balazs Toth made a stunning save to deny Ronaldo from close range after half an hour.
The visitors levelled six minutes later with Manchester City midfielder Silva lashing into the roof of the net after the ball broke his way in the box.
Portugal took the lead after 58 minutes through veteran striker Ronaldo, aiming to become the first player to feature at six different World Cup finals.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner won the spot-kick when his shot was handled by Loic Nego, and he squeezed it into the bottom left corner beyond Toth’s outstretched fingertips.
Ronaldo became the player who has scored the joint-most goals in World Cup qualifying history, level with retired Guatemala international Carlos Ruiz, as he bagged his 39th.
Hungary, who last qualified for the World Cup in 1986 and have never beaten Portugal in 15 attempts, equalized with another Varga header from Nego’s cross after 84 minutes.
Just two minutes later Portugal stole the ball back high up the pitch and Cancelo stroked home to claim the three points.
“It’s hard to win when you concede two goals,” said Martinez.
“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.”
Portugal edge Hungary in World Cup qualifying thriller
https://arab.news/2zg76
Portugal edge Hungary in World Cup qualifying thriller
- Nations League champions Portugal were high on confidence after thumping Armenia 5-0 on Saturday and dominated possession
Own goal enough for Al-Ahli as Matchday 24 win keeps pressure on Al-Nassr
- Al-Ahli eke out 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh to keep pressure on Al-Nassr
- Milan Borjan own goal separated the sides at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium
RIYADH: Matchday 24 of the Saudi Pro League kicked off on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the delayed Matchday 10. With the FIFA Arab Cup, World Cup Qualifiers and FIFA World Cup sandwiching the 2025/26 campaign, resting periods have been few and far between outside the international breaks.
With fixtures coming thick and fast, Al-Ahli opted to rest Riyad Mahrez and Enzo Millot for their clash with Al-Riyadh in the capital. Ramadan has further challenged the league schedule, with Matthias Jaissle’s side only arriving in Riyadh at 5:30pm — just hours before kick-off.
With their previous outing against Damac still dominating conversation, Jaissle was keen to ensure his players did not fall into the same trap — namely, being caught off guard by an opponent’s unexpectedly proactive style.
To his relief, Al-Ahli were largely in control this time. Yet the absence of Mahrez limited their creative spark. Relying heavily on Wenderson Galeno down the left, Al-Riyadh did well to crowd the Brazilian and deny him space to operate.
The bane of any expansive side is a compact 5-4-1, and that is precisely how Al-Riyadh’s recently appointed Brazilian manager Mauricio Dulac set his team up. A long-time assistant to former Al-Riyadh coach Odair Hellmann, this marks Dulac’s first managerial role.
Al-Ahli’s attacking routes were severely restricted throughout the first half. Al-Riyadh denied them the opportunity to press high, Mahrez’s trademark diagonals were absent, and finding Ivan Toney in the six-yard box proved a difficult task.
On the rare occasions the visitors broke the defensive line, Milan Borjan stood firm in goal — there was no getting past the Canadian.
That was until first-half stoppage time. Al-Ahli had one more weapon in their arsenal: set-pieces. A lofted delivery from Galeno’s free-kick met the head of Roger Ibañez, who nodded the ball towards goal. Borjan pushed it away, but it was too late — the ball crossed the line.
VAR intervened within seconds. Ibañez was a shoulder offside, and the opener was chalked off. It was a notable twist, particulary as the simultaneous fixture between Al-Fateh and Damac in Al-Ahsa featured a celebration aimed squarely at Al-Ahli and VAR.
Earlier in the week, Damac equalised late against Al-Ahli via Yakou Méïté, only for the goal to be overturned. Méïté reacted angrily and lashed out at referees, but Al-Ahli escaped with the three points. Méïté followed up with a goal against Al-Fateh, and celebrated by mimicking the referee’s VAR signal.
Back in Riyadh, Al-Ahli returned for the second half with renewed intensity. Zakaria Hawsawi grew more adventurous from left-back, threading lofted balls over the Al-Riyadh defence.
In the 53rd minute, he found Toney behind the last defender, but the Englishman’s volley was adeptly saved by Borjan. Five minutes later, Galeno latched onto Hawsawi’s cross and thought he had broken the deadlock — only for the linesman’s flag to rise once again.
Al-Ahli pushed, but as time ticked away, it seemed the coveted winner would elude them. However, once again, set pieces proved decisive.
In the 75th minute, a corner from Saleh Abu Al-Shamat was parried by Borjan, only for his effort to be bundled into his own net, sending the travelling supporters into a frenzy.
After last week’s scare, Al-Ahli knew they had to finish the job. Cue Ibañez, who surged forward from deep before slipping the ball through to Toney to seal the game with what would have been his 24th goal of the season. The run itself deserved a goal, but Toney was flagged inches offside.
Despite another difficult outing, Al-Ahli did enough to secure a clean sheet and grind out a 1-0 victory to move top on 59 points — one ahead of Al-Nassr, who are yet to play this weekend.
Elsewhere, Méïté’s equaliser was later cancelled out by a 77th-minute Mourad Batna penalty, in a match that saw fans commemorate him for surpassing 100 goal contributions with Al-Fateh.
Batna had earlier missed from the spot to the frustation of the home fans, but Al-Fateh’s undefeated streak against Damac at home remains intact as the encounter ended 1-1.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Hazem hosting Al-Ettifaq, Al-Ittihad welcoming Al-Khaleej, and one of Riyadh’s top derbies in Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal. All games kick-off at 10:00pm, in the league’s unified Ramadan schedule.
