The winner of the encounter in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina will almost certainly finish third in the standings.Continue reading
The Hungarian national football team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Monday in the fourth round of the UEFA Nations League Division A in Zenica, Bosnia.
With the win, the national team secured their third place in their group and caught up on points with the Dutch, who are currently in second place.
The Hungarian team took the lead at the end of the first half with a goal from captain Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored from a penalty at the start of the second half.
The national team, led for the 70th time by head coach Marco Rossi and featuring newcomer Kornél Szűcs, remained unbeaten in their sixth match against the Bosnians.
Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor
The Hungarians have two more meetings in Division A of the Nations League this season:
next up on November 16 when they play against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, followed by a clash against Germany three days later (November 19) at Puskás Arena in Budapest.
The home side led a dangerous attack in the first minute but was unsuccessful. It soon became clear that both teams were trying to attack in the hope of winning and staying in the competition, with the Hungarians trying long-range shots early on. In the last ten minutes of the first half, Roland Sallai’s long-range shot was only centimeters away from the top left corner, while Szoboszlai fired an unsuccessful free-kick over from a great position; however, he made no mistake with his second shot from the left, thereby securing the one-goal lead.
Dominik Szoboszlai (L), Zsolt Nagy (C) and Barnabás Varga (R). Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor
Although the home side tried to increase the pressure after the half-time change, Szoboszlai quickly increased the goal difference by scoring another superb shot. With a two-goal lead, the Hungarians were more concerned with safety, leading to less possession and fewer attacks. At the back, Rossi’s men defended in a well-organized manner, which meant that the Bosnians had few chances, but on one occasion, Dénes Dibusz saved an effort from Edin Džeko, the rivals’ best player.
With the deserved victory, the national team took a big step towards progress, as Bosnia can only overtake Hungary if they get at least four points against the two favorites in the group, the Netherlands and Germany, in November.
The Hungarian national team celebrating after the match. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor
After the 2-0 win over the Bosnians, the Hungarian team’s head coach said that he was most happy that the team spirit was back. “It is not easy to play in a stadium like this, against an opponent like this, on a pitch like this, hence we knew it would be a difficult start and we really struggled for the first ten minutes,” noted Marco Rossi after the match. “Overall, our performance today was encouraging for the future, this match showed that the team is back to its roots, the team spirit is back, everyone is working hard for each other.
We are a team that fights for every ball, runs for every ball, and that is how we can assert ourselves and win games.
We have a chance of making the play-offs at this stage of the group, but it is hard to imagine us fighting for second place alongside the Netherlands at the end,” he underlined.
Via MTI, MLSZ; Featured image via MTI/Illyés Tibor