(Video) Dominik Szoboszlai provides sumptuous assist as Hungary’s World Cup dream edges closer | OneFootball

Dominik Szoboszlai unsurprisingly played a vital role as Hungary took a step closer to ending their 40-year World Cup exile.

Marco Rossi’s side earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Armenia on Thursday evening, a result which leaves them on the verge of securing at least a play-off to qualify for next summer’s finals in North America.

If Portugal beat Republic of Ireland in the other Group F fixture tonight, the Liverpool midfielder and his fellow countrymen will no longer be able to finish top, but they would be guaranteed a play-off berth. A draw in Dublin would leave the Hungarians needing only a point at home to Caoimhin Kelleher and co on Sunday.

Classy Szoboszlai assists propels Hungary to victory

Szoboszlai provided the assist for the only goal in Yerevan this evening, and Reds fans won’t be surprised to see that it was a moment of real quality from the 25-year-old.

There didn’t seem to be much on for Hungary when their captain took possession by the left-hand touchline, with two Armenians in close proximity, but he still executed an inch-perfect cross into the penalty area for Barnabas Varga to direct a header into the home side’s net.

(Photo by Hrach Khachatryan/Getty Images)

Szoboszlai led by example for Hungary this evening

Despite Rossi’s team being 67 places above their opponents in the FIFA World Rankings, they were left clinging on for a narrow victory as the Armenians spurned some gilt-edged chances in the second half.

In addition to his assist for the match-winning goal, Szoboszlai completed 49 of his 51 passes (96% success), won four duels and two tackles, found a teammate with all six long balls and completed a team-high six key passes in a true captain’s performance (Sofascore).

Although Liverpool have endured a mostly miserable autumn, the Reds’ number 8 has been one of the few players to keep his standards consistently high, with Melissa Reddy praising him as the team’s ‘golden thread‘ in good times and bad.

The 25-year-old captained Hungary at Euro 2024, but the opportunity to play in the World Cup is without equal, and this team would be hailed as heroes in Budapest and beyond if they secure their nation’s first finals appearance since 1986.

Thanks to a moment of quality from Szoboszlai this evening, that dream has moved a little closer to fruition for his country.

You can view Szoboszlai’s assist for Varga below, taken from M4 Sport’s match coverage and shared via @justdoingthing7 on X:

You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: