Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the all-time goalscoring record in men’s World Cup qualifying matches, netting his 39th career goal as Portugal secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Hungary on Tuesday. The win keeps Portugal in first place in Group F of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 40-year-old superstar’s milestone goal came from a penalty kick in the 58th minute at the Puskás Aréna. With his latest strike, Ronaldo tied the record held by former Guatemala international Carlos “El Pescado” Ruiz. Ronaldo’s international goal tally now stands at 141 in 223 appearances, an all-time record for a male player.
The match was a back-and-forth contest. Hungary’s Barnabás Varga opened the scoring in the 21st minute, but Bernardo Silva of Manchester City equalised for Portugal 15 minutes later. After Ronaldo’s penalty gave Portugal the lead, Varga scored his second goal in the 84th minute, seemingly earning a point for the hosts. However, João Cancelo had the final say, firing home the winning goal just two minutes later to secure a crucial three points for Roberto Martínez’s side.
The win follows Portugal’s 5-0 thrashing of Armenia on Saturday. Portugal now leads Group F with six points from their first two matches, while Hungary and the Republic of Ireland are tied for third with one point each.
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