Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t exactly known for giving up the ball on a free kick near the opponent’s penalty area. So Portugal’s all-time top scorer looked stunned when Nuno Mendes tapped the ball away from him in the match against Hungary.
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Portugal’s meeting with Hungary in Lisbon turned into a curious mix of slapstick and high-level drama, a night that will be remembered as much for a comic free kick routine as for a personal milestone for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Starting with their captain up front, Portugal were expected to control the tempo and pin Hungary back, yet the visitors struck first and silenced the crowd. The hosts needed time to settle, and in the search for a quick response they earned a free kick just outside the box that set the tone for a strange first act.
Both Nuno Mendes and Ronaldo stood over the ball, weighing their options. After a brief exchange, the choreography fell apart. Mendes nudged the ball forward at the exact moment Ronaldo prepared to strike, catching the captain off guard. A Hungarian defender, equally unsure of the script, hoofed the loose ball away under little pressure. The moment was equal parts confusion and comedy, a reminder that even elite players can occasionally trip over the smallest details. Portugal’s bench wore a mix of frustration and wry smiles, and the stadium buzzed with disbelief.
Crucially, that miscue did not derail Portugal. If anything, it sharpened their focus. The midfield began to circulate the ball with more patience, full backs pushed higher to stretch Hungary’s compact block, and the wide forwards attacked the half spaces with greater clarity. Ronaldo, who had looked irritated by the free kick mishap, started drifting between the lines to receive early and combine. The equaliser arrived with a familiar pattern: a crisp move from left to right, a low delivery into the area, and Ronaldo’s predatory movement to finish at close range. The goal changed the mood completely and restored order to Portugal’s approach play.
From there the hosts pressed for a second before the break, and it came in the additional minutes of the first half. Mendes, eager to atone for the earlier misunderstanding, surged down the flank with conviction. Timing his overlap perfectly, he received the ball on the run and whipped a measured pass into the danger zone. Ronaldo met it with clinical precision for his second of the evening. The connection between the left back and the captain was as smooth as the earlier episode had been awkward. In that instant, the narrative flipped: the pair who had produced a blooper were now the architects of a lead that felt deserved.
That brace carried more weight than the score alone. With those strikes, Portugal’s captain became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying, a record that underlines both his longevity and his ability to deliver in pressure moments. The team celebrated briefly but deliberately, aware that the job was only half done and that Hungary had shown enough bite to punish lapses.
The second half unfolded as a test of game management. Hungary committed more bodies forward without abandoning their compact lines, looking to pounce on transitions. Portugal tried to control the rhythm, lowering the tempo in possession and seeking to draw the visitors out. There were half chances at both ends: a skidding cross that flashed across the six-yard box without a touch, a long-range effort parried away, and a header that drifted wide when it seemed easier to test the goalkeeper. Each missed opportunity kept the contest alive and emboldened Hungary to keep believing.
As the clock ticked into the final quarter of an hour, the match tightened. Portugal introduced fresh legs to stabilize midfield and protect the flanks, while Hungary adjusted with more direct balls into the channels. The hosts had a couple of promising breaks that might have sealed the result, but the final pass lacked either weight or accuracy. Those small margins came back to bite in the closing stages.
Deep into second-half stoppage time, Hungary found their moment. A hopeful delivery was recycled at the edge of the area, Portugal failed to clear with authority, and the loose ball fell kindly for a composed finish beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. The equaliser sparked wild celebrations in the away end and left the home crowd stunned. From leading at the interval and largely controlling the middle phase, Portugal were suddenly staring at a share of the points.
The final whistle confirmed a 2–2 draw that felt like a missed opportunity for the hosts and a reward for Hungary’s persistence. For Portugal, there were positives to salvage. The understanding that blossomed between Mendes and Ronaldo after the early mishap highlighted the team’s capacity to correct in real time. The captain’s record in World Cup qualifying is a significant individual achievement that adds to an already extraordinary career. The build-up play from the back frequently broke Hungary’s first line, and the left side looked especially dangerous once Mendes hit his stride.
Yet the negatives were just as clear. Game management in the last minutes faltered, with turnovers in risky areas and a reluctance to put a foot on the ball when calm was required. Set pieces and second balls demanded more aggression and communication. Those late details separate a routine victory from a draw that complicates the qualification path.
In practical terms, the result delays Portugal’s chance to seal a World Cup berth and shifts pressure onto the fixtures next month. The staff will likely spend the coming days reinforcing structure in defensive transitions and refining set piece routines so that confusion like the early free kick does not recur. The players, for their part, will know that matches at this level are often decided by discipline in the final five minutes as much as by brilliance in the first eighty-five.
Even so, the broader picture remains within reach. Portugal showed enough quality to create multiple scoring phases, and their most experienced finisher is clearly still decisive. If they pair that firepower with sharper late-game control, the points they did not collect here can be recovered quickly. Hungary leave Lisbon with a statement of resilience, while Portugal depart with lessons to absorb and a milestone to celebrate. On a strange night defined by a comical slip and a historic brace, the only thing missing was the closing act that would have turned an entertaining performance into a straightforward win.
