Home advantage at the European Championship may not count for much when Hungary face a Portugal team with scoring talent and one particular player looking to make history.
Cristiano Ronaldo needs six more goals to become the all-time leading scorer for a men’s national team.
If the defending champions go far at Euro 2020, Ronaldo could indeed break Iran striker Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals. And he’ll get his first chance to add to his total on Tuesday against the Hungarians at the Puskas Arena.
Portugal beat France 1-0 in the Euro 2016 final in extra time after losing Ronaldo to injury. He hobbled off injured midway through the first half.
Besides Ronaldo, the team have scoring threats in standout midfielder Bruno Fernandes, winger Bernardo Silva and forward Diogo Jota.
Fernandes had a superb season at Manchester United, earning the Premier League’s Player of the Month award four times in his second season. He finished in the Premier League’s Team of the Year and scored 28 goals overall, also helping United reach the Europa League final.
Jota became the first player in 27 years to net seven goals in his first 10 Liverpool appearances before being injured. He helped under-pressure Liverpool qualify for the Champions League when he returned.
In a recent match against Israel, Portugal coach Fernando Santos deployed Fernandes, Silva, Jota and Ronaldo together in a 4-0 win.
Hungary may struggle at the other end, too, because Portugal have solidity in defense to go with flair.
Despite his advanced age, 38-year-old Pepe remains an assured central defender. He was outstanding for Porto when they knocked Juventus out of the Champions League in the round of 16 this season.
Ruben Dias was a key player for City as they won the Premier League title. So was Jose Fonte, with Lille winning the French League title ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
The 37-year-old Fonte provides good backup to Pepe and Dias, while goalkeeper Rui Patricio remains the undisputed No. 1.
Attack-minded right back Joao Cancelo, who scored the pick of the goals against Israel after a typically marauding run, tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the tournament. Santos replaced him in the squad with the more defensive Diogo Dalot.
The Hungarians can expect a partisan crowd at the Puskas Arena, but it’s hard to see how they can upset Portugal.
This team is not as enterprising as it was at Euro 2016, where they took the lead three times in an exciting 3-3 draw with Portugal. Ronaldo, unsurprisingly, scored the last two goals for the Portuguese.
That Hungary team was inspired by the silky skills of midfielder Zoltan Gera, who has since retired after scoring 26 goals for the Magyars.
Gera’s heir, at this tournament at least, should have been Dominik Szoboszlai. The 20-year-old midfielder is considered the biggest talent to emerge in Hungarian soccer since forward Krisztian Nemeth in 2010.
Szoboszlai scored for Salzburg in the Champions League last season, and his stoppage-time winner from 20 meters in a playoff against Iceland sent Hungary into the tournament.
But he withdrew from Euro 2020 two weeks ago because of a persistent adductor injury, leaving Hungary without its biggest talent in a tough group that also includes World Cup champion France and Germany.
