Hungary and Portugal played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in their last Group F game in Lyon. The Portuguese started the game on the front foot but it was Hungary’s Zoltan Gera who struck the first blow in the 19th minute with a long range driven shot. But Portugal equalised just before halftime through Nani who smashed a low shot into the near post.
But the group toppers Hungary got their second goal through Balazs Dzsudzsak, whose free-kick took a cruel deflection off Andre Gomes and left goalkeeper Rui Patricio helpless. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo who scored his first goal of the tournament to make it 2-2 in the 50th minute.
The game started to open up and Dzsudzsak struck again through a free-kick which was not cleared by the Portugal defence just five minutes after Ronaldo had struck. But Portugal and Ronaldo were not willing to back down and made it 3-3 in the 62nd minute.
The draw sends both the teams into the round of 16 with Hungary topping the group with 5 points and Portugal finishing 3rd with 3 points. Here is how the players fared in the most exciting game yet of UEFA EURO 2016:
Hungary
Gabor Kiraly – 5/10
The Hungarian goalkeeper should have stopped the first goal scored by Nani as he was beaten at his near-post. He was clueless about the second and the third goal from Ronaldo. He made many saves to deny the Portuguese.
Adam Lang – 5/10
Lang dealt with the likes of Andre Gomes and Elisue. He was troubled by Ronaldo whenever the Real Madrid got the ball. But overall, he did well for his side.
Roland Juhasz – 4/10
Juhasz did not help himself a great deal as he got a yellow card inside the first 30 minutes. He made several fouls on the opposition players which led to free-kicks. He was not very composed and lacked decisiveness in his tackles.
Richard Guzmics – 5/10
The central defender was unable to stop Ronaldo from scoring on both the occasions. Nevertheless, he was solid at the back at other times and denied Nani much space in the box.
Mihaly Korhut – 5/10
The Hungarian left-back had a fairly tough game as most of Portugal’s attacks came from his flank. But he did well to keep the likes of Vieirinha and Mario quiet.
Adam Pinter – 5/10
The central midfielder was unable to get on the ball in the first half as Portugal dominated possession. He was also seen giving away the possession cheaply. He did not play as well as he would have liked.
Akos Elek – 7/10
The Diosgyor man was strong in the center of midfield for Hungary. He denied Carvalho to make runs into the box and caught him off-guard on many occasions.
Gergo Lovrencsics – 7/10
The Lech Poznan midfielder had a great game down the left flank for his country. He was always willing to go forward and track back as the game was very open. He showed great desire and commitment.
Zoltan Gera – 7/10
The 37-year old midfielder scored the first goal for his side as his long-range grounded shot rocketed past Rui Patricio into the back of the net. He had a couple of more attempts at goal and was solid in midfield.
Balazs Dzsudzsak – 8/10
The right-sided winger scored a brace and was the best player for his side. He was very clever in executing both his free-kicks. He used his left foot to shoot with power and the deflection helped him on both the occasions. He was energy and gave Elisue a run for his money.
Adam Szalai – 6/10
The 28-year old striker was not at his best but did well to send a few long-range efforts on target. He was quick and troubled the Portugal defence with his physicality and quick play.
Substitutes
Barnabas Bebe – 5/10
Bebe replaced Zoltan Gera at half-time and did well to track the Portugal midfielders.
Zoltan Stieber – NA
The Hamburger SV midfielder was brought on very late in the game to replace the tiring Lovrencsics.
Krisztian Nemeth – 4/10
The striker replaced Szalai in the 70th minute and did not do anything worthy of a mention.
Portugal
Rui Patricio – 5/10
The Portuguese goalkeeper was troubled by his opponents on several occasions and was helpless in both the goals that came off free-kicks as the ball took a cruel deflection on both occasions.
Vieirinha – 5/10
The Wolfsburg right-back was unable to create many opportunities for his strikers and was not at his best defensively as well.
Pepe – 7/10
The Real Madrid man was very solid at the back whenever the Hungarian forward line came to attack. He covered well for his partner Carvalho. If it was not for him, Portugal may have even lost the game.
Ricardo Carvalho – 6/10
The experienced defender was not very solid but did well to keep the attackers away from getting possession in the final third. His defending got better as the game progressed but he gave away the free-kick which led to Hungary’s third goal.
Eliseu – 5/10
Eliseu came into the side for Raphael Guerreiro and showed why the latter was preferred. He had a disappointing game as he could not get crosses into the box for Ronaldo and co. His defending was also weak as both the free-kicks came from his side of the pitch.
Joao Mario – 6/10
The young midfielder got on the ball throughout the game and created some moments for his side. He got an assist for Portugal’s second goal. But he failed to control the game as his team would have liked.
Joao Moutinho – 5/10
The AS Monaco player was disappointing in the first half and did not create many chances for his side. Therefore, he was taken off at half-time by manager Fernando Santos.
William Carvalho – 5/10
The young Portuguese was also very disappointing in the heart of midfield. He was unable to dictate the tempo of the game and failed to create chances for his side. He was robbed of the ball on several occasions.
Andre Gomes – 4/10
The Valencia midfielder was very poor in midfield. He gave away possession far too often and looked fatigued. He was taken off by his manager after the hour mark.
Luis Nani – 8/10
The former Manchester United man was the ray of hope in the first half and he delivered with a sublime low shot into the near post when Ronaldo found him inside the box with a well-waited pass. He was sharp and was the key in all of Portugal’s attacks.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 9/10
The Real Madrid man showed why he is a 3-time World Player of the Year. He started Portugal’s scoring with a good waited pass from a free-kick for Nani. He then scored twice to level the scores – first with a great flick into the far post and the second with a strong header off a Ricardo Quaresma cross.
He seemed to have injured his thigh, but continued to play the whole 90 minutes.
Substitutes
Renato Sanches – 6/10
The 18-year old youngster brought pace to Portugal’s attacks after he came on for Joao Moutinho at half time.
Ricardo Quaresma – 7/10
The 32-year old was effective as he put in some crosses into the box for Ronaldo and Nani. He helped his side with a fitting cross to make it 3-3.
Danilo Pereira – NA
The defensive midfielder was brought on to replace Nani to help his side in not conceding any more goals.
