World Cup Qualifying match – Hungary undone by impressive Portugal

Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo another from André Silva gave an impressive Portugal a 3-0 victory over Hungary in the World Cup Qualifying match at a rain-soaked Estádio do SL Benfica in Lisbon.

Employing a three-man central defence, Bernd Storck gave Paulo Vinicius his debut, the Videoton defender slotting in alongside Ádám Lang Tamás Kádár. Hungary started the first half well, limiting Portugal to a solitary goal-scoring opportunity in the first thirty minutes; Cristiano Ronaldo heading a Ricardo Quaresma cross just wide of goal when unmarked at the edge of the six yard box.

Two goals in quick succession would put Portugal firmly in the driving seat thereafter though, and Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in both. The first came on 32 minutes when he found Raphaël Guerreiro in space on the left, the left-back playing a perfectly weighted low ball across the face of goal which gave André Silva the simplest of tasks of slotting past Péter Gulácsi from close-range. Five minutes later it was two; the Hungary defence failing to deal with a long ball, and Andre Silva cushioning the ball into the path of Cristiano Ronaldo who fired a fierce low drive past Gulácsi into the corner of the net.

Hungary reverted to a four-man defence after the break with Gergő Lovrencsics replacing Ádám Lang, but Portugal continued to look by far the more dangerous. Indeed, the match was over as a contest by the 65th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second of night. 25 yards out on the left, he fired his direct free-kick in off the post past Gulácsi, the 3-3 thriller in Lyon last summer becoming an ever-more distant memory.