Africa-Press – Mauritius. Cristiano Ronaldo wrote yet another chapter in football history on Tuesday night as he equalled the all-time World Cup qualifying goalscoring record in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Hungary at the Puskas Arena.
The 40-year-old forward struck from the penalty spot in the 58th minute to register his 39th goal in World Cup qualifying matches, drawing level with Guatemala legend Carlos Ruiz.
The goal also saw Ronaldo pull three ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi on the all-time qualifying charts.
With the strike, Ronaldo extended his incredible tally to 141 international goals in 223 appearances — the most by any male player for his country.
Hungary had taken the lead in the 21st minute through Barnabas Varga, but Bernardo Silva restored parity 15 minutes later.
Ronaldo’s penalty then gave Portugal the lead before Varga netted his second in the 84th minute to set up a tense finale.
Just as the hosts looked destined to earn a point, Joao Cancelo fired home a decisive effort in the 86th minute to seal all three points for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Ronaldo, who had scored twice in Portugal’s 5-0 demolition of Armenia on Saturday, has now found the net three times in two games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Portugal sit comfortably at the top of Group F with six points, while Hungary remain third on a single point alongside the Republic of Ireland, who slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Armenia.
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