Dominik Szoboszlai meets Cristiano Ronaldo again.
When history repeats itself, some always have a better story than the primary narrative, and that is the case of Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai when his country faced Portugal in a repetition of a fixture played on the same day 16 years prior.
The midfielder was among the escorts when his country lost 1-0 to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, meeting his childhood idol for the first time.
The star of the show was Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and had recently completed his switch to Real Madrid from Manchester United. But on Tuesday, both players carried the weight of responsibility for their respective nations in the same arena.
With a point away to the Republic of Ireland in their opening game of the qualifiers, Hungarians looked up to their captain, who had always delivered in crucial moments for The Magyars since breaking into the national team in 2019 as an 18-year-old. But this time, he found the legend of Cristiano to be true.
Dominik Szoboszlai Meets Cristiano Ronaldo Again
Hungary is aiming to secure its first World Cup ticket since its last appearance in the 1986 finals in Mexico, where it suffered group elimination after winning one and losing two of its three games.
The meeting in September 2009, when an 8-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai first set eyes on his idol, was the two nations’ first clash in the 21st century, and it is the southwestern nation that has always dominated.
Although both countries also clashed in the 2021 summer European Championship — with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a brace in a 3-0 victory — Szoboszlai missed the tournament due to a groin injury. Still, he was responsible for the goal that took them to what was their second appearance in 44 years.
Before Tuesday night, Portugal had been unbeaten in all 14 meetings with Hungary in their history, winning 10 since their first-ever encounter in December 1926 ended in a 3-3 draw. The 2016 Euro winners added one more on the night in Budapest.
How It Happened in Budapest
Barnabas Varga sent the Puskás Arena into eruption with his opening goal in the 19th minute, but Portugal leveled after the half-hour through Bernardo Silva, before Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to convert a 58th-minute penalty to complete the comeback.
For Ronaldo, it wasn’t just any goal, but one that took him level with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz as the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup qualifiers history, while also extending his record as the all-time international leading goalscorer, 141.
At the age of 40, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is having a countdown to behold, and 24-year-old Szoboszlai — who wasn’t even two when Ronaldo made his senior debut in 2002, and saw him at his peak 16 years ago — still looks at him with reverence.
Ronaldo was also able to continue his impressive run against Hungary, as the goal makes it seven he has scored in the fixture, with two more assists to ensure that he has not fire blank in each of their last six meetings.
Varga completed his brace with six minutes left to restore parity, but Portugal struck almost immediately through Joao Cancelo to re-establish their lead. It finished 3-2 to the visitors, who extended both unbeaten and winning runs in this fixture to 15 and four respectively.
Despite the loss, it was a performance to be proud of by Hungary. A fulfilled Szoboszlai swapped shirts with Ronaldo at full time, bringing to end to an emotional yet eventful evening in the Puskas arena.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
