A six-goal thriller in Lyon saw Hungary and Portugal play out a 3-3 draw in arguably the match of the tournament thus far.
Portugal began the first half with intent, pressing the Hungarian defence to force an early goal. However, it was Hungary who hit the front in the 19th minute, as Zoltan Gera spectacularly found the bottom corner with a shot from outside the box.
This somewhat dampened the Portuguese charge, but Fernando Santos’ side regrouped in time to equalise through Nani before half time. With both sides pushing hard for a win, the second half began in remarkable fashion as the teams scored a goal apiece.
Hungarian captain Balazs Dzsudzsak’s free-kick snuck past Rui Patricio after deflecting off the wall, but Portugal responded moments later. Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored his first goal of the tournament, producing an impressive back-heel flick to direct Joao Mario’s cross into the net.
The goals continued to flow, as Dzsudzsak cut in from the right flank and saw his shot once again hit the net through a deflection. However, just eight minutes later Ronaldo had his second, powering a header home after a pinpoint cross.
After that breathtaking start to the second half, neither side could find another goal in the final 25 minutes, allowing Hungary to complete their unlikely story and finish top of the group.
CR7 steps up
After spurning a hatful of chances in the opening two matches, Cristiano Ronaldo finally found his scoring boots in Lyon. After setting up Nani for the equaliser before half time, Ronaldo produced a sublime backheel and an emphatic header to bring his side level on both occasions.
The script seemed written for the Real Madrid man to complete his hat-trick and lead his side to victory, but his body had other ideas. After jumping for another header, Ronaldo appeared to be nursing a slight injury on his calf, restricting his movement in the final stages. After showing what he is truly capable of, the Portuguese medical staff will be working overtime to make sure their talisman is fit for the next round.
Hungary deserved group winners
Having already qualified for the knockout rounds regardless of the result, Hungary could have been forgiven for playing conservatively to prevent added fatigue or injuries to their squad. However, Bernd Storck’s side came out firing, posing a strong threat on the counter-attack through the likes of Georgo Lovrenscics, Adam Szalai and Dzsudzsak.
The defence was at times overly rough, with central defenders Roland Juhasz and Richard Guzmics receiving early yellow cards along with goalscorer Zoltan Gera, but it proved strong enough to deny the Portuguese enough chances to come away with the points. The Hungarians will likely meet Belgium in the round of 16, but have shown the determination required to challenge Marc Wilmots’ side.
Iceland shock shakes up group
Upon full-time in Lyon it looked as though Portugal had set up a mouth-watering tie with England in the knockout stages, but Iceland had other ideas. The Nordic side scored with the final kick of the game against Austria, leapfrogging the Portuguese into second to meet with England instead. Portugal now have to face Croatia, who underlined their status as tournament contenders with a 2-1 win over Spain in their final group match. It is certainly a tough proposition for the Portuguese, but having placed themselves on the opposite side of the draw to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and England, the chance of making a run to the final is certainly not out of the question.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our interactive Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
