Portugal fans were left frustrated after their national team squandered a 2-1 lead to draw 2-2 against Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers after narrowly beating them in the reverse fixture,Softfootball reports.
Many turned their criticism toward head coach Roberto Martínez, questioning his in-game management and controversial substitutions particularly his decision to withdraw Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes while leaving underperforming players like Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva on the pitch,
The draw leaves Portugal’s qualification postponed till November, with Hungary’s late heroics keeping them in second place and firmly in the World Cup race. While Hungarian fans celebrated Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliance, Portuguese supporters lamented what they described as a lack of urgency, poor tactical adjustments, and wasted opportunities.
Frustration with Martinez’s Decisions
A lot of Portugal fans were frustrated with coaches tactics and decisions, ruidga lammented;
Roberto Martinez takes out players who are performing well like Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo, while leaving the duds Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Tavares, Renato Veiga on the pitch. Ridiculous!”
bulkaiser was suprised at martinez decision to play Renato Veiga for 90 mins, he stated;
How does Renato Veiga play the entire game? In what world did that make sense?? He’s not a bad player, but he was heavily and blatantly neutralized, and the coach doesn’t make a move. He never pressed or won a single aerial ball, but he plays the full +90 minutes.
Jose mavia added;
“By taking Ronaldo off, it allowed the Hungarian defensive line to push up, as they no longer had that concern. Even if Ronaldo doesn’t score, just having him on the field changes the opposing team’s tactical setup. Martínez knows this well, took a risk, and it backfired…”
For Portuguese fans Cristano Ronaldo is a household name and he isn’t showing any sign of slowing down despite him being 40 years old, top journalist Fabrizio Romano shared via his Official X handle, a post that shows Ronaldo has become the highest goal scorer at the World Cup qualifiers and his total goals still counting, he posted;
Concerns Over Team Mentality
Jose Antony stated;
It would be too sad to see Hungary win the next games and Portugal concede victory to their opponents and say goodbye to qualification. Today I saw the players without any will, just passing the ball backwards and fooling around with it.
Mr Chip Alex was concerned about other goal scoring outlets, he said;
Since Roberto Martínez arrived, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 29 matches with Portugal.
Godzilla added on the heroics of Ronaldo
We must respect everyone’s opinion, but the fact that there are people who doubt the enormous benefits that CR7 still brings to his national team says quite little about their judgment.
Hungary Celebrate Szoboszlai’s Heroics
Samuel LFC provided the player’s stats of the game, he stated;
Szobozlai A last minute equaliser, an assist, and MOTM against Portugal as Hungary secure a vital point to stay 2nd with 2 games left. Stepping up for his nation again.
Bence Osak added;
What a moment. What a player. Dominik Szoboszlai now has 17 goals and 8 assists for Hungary. The World Cup dream is well and truly on
After the game, Liverpool via its official X handle updated their fans on Midfielder Dominic Szobozlai heroic performance against Portugal at the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, They posted;
The 2-2 draw today after last match dying mintues header from Neves means Portugal still need just a single point from their final qualifying game to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup, while Hungary’s spirited comeback has reignited their hopes of reaching the tournament. For Roberto Martínez, the pressure is mounting and Portuguese fans will expect nothing less than a convincing finish to confirm qualification.
