Even a double pack and a record from superstar Cristiano Ronaldo have not yet secured Portugal’s participation in the World Cup against Hungary. The Hungarians fought to a 2-2 (2-1) draw in Portugal’s capital on Tuesday evening.
Portugal were just seconds away from victory, which would have meant their seventh World Cup participation in a row. In Lisbon, the 40-year-old Ronaldo (22nd/45th+3) initially turned around the early deficit through Attila Szalai (8th), who is under contract at Hoffenheim. Ex-Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai (90+1) equalized.
Ronaldo with a record
With his goals number 40 and 41, Ronaldo at least became the most successful goalscorer in the history of World Cup qualification. He previously shared the record with Guatemalan Carlos Ruiz, who scored 39 goals in qualifying games between 1998 and 2016. Ronaldo is about to take part in his sixth World Cup; no footballer has ever achieved this. The top star is the only player to date to score at least one goal in five different World Cup tournaments: 2006 (1), 2010 (1), 2014 (1), 2018 (4) and 2022 (1).