The opening half-hour was a dour spectacle which failed to see a single shot on target registered by either side. The visitors were clearly the stronger team, but their chances were limited to ambitious efforts that were either easily blocked or steered comfortably wide.
However, Hungary took the game by the scruff of the neck and broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute thanks to a superb header from Barnabas Varga.
The Ferencvaros striker launched himself towards the ball following an excellent left-wing delivery from Dominik Szoboszlai, and his powerful effort flew past Henri Avagyan to secure his 12th goal for his country.
A very cagey start to the second half flickered into life just after the hour mark, when an outstanding piece of defending from Sergey Muradyan prevented Szoboszlai from tucking the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
Marco Rossi’s side came within inches of sealing all three points in the latter stages of the match, as Alex Toth’s close-range strike was fired narrowly wide after being teed up beautifully by Varga.
The visitors came perilously close to being made to pay instantly for that spurned opportunity, when Armenia’s Nair Tiknizyan suddenly found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat following a quick counter-attack with 10 minutes remaining, but his shot was dragged wide to the hosts’ immense frustration.
While this was hardly a performance to write home about for Hungary, it was enough for Rossi’s team to secure a vital win and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Hungary’s victory means that the Magyars will be guaranteed a play-off place with one group match remaining, if Portugal beat The Republic Of Ireland later tonight. Dropped points for Roberto Martinez’s side would give Hungary an opportunity to qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s defeat ensures that Yegishe Melikyan’s team cannot advance to next year’s tournament.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary)
