Young pupils from a local sports club waited for the players, waving Hungarian flags and chanting "Ungarn."Continue reading
The Hungarian national football team will start the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany on Saturday against Switzerland, after impeccable preparation.
The Hungarians will start with one of the most important clashes, as the hosts and favorites Germany emerge from the group, so it is expected that the other three teams, along with the Scots, will decide between themselves second and third places, also holding the prospect of qualification. With that in mind, a win would be a huge step towards progression. A defeat would be particularly painful, as the team would be under pressure to score in the second meeting against Germany.
The difference from the Hungarian point of view compared to the previous two tournaments is that the team has set the bar high in recent years, therefore the hopes of the fans are much higher than before.
This is even more true in the light of the fact that a 14-match unbeaten run is now a thing of the past following an unexpected defeat in Ireland ten days ago. However, the 3-0 win over Israel in the preparation match was a great result.
Photo via Facebook/MLSZ – Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség
Stability will be needed, because the Switzerland national football team can get behind the opposition’s defense with their fast play, which is no wonder with midfielders like Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri. The biggest problem for the rivals, however, is that Breel Embolo, who returned from a hamstring injury in April, is a serious question mark due to another injury. Without the midfielder, the Swiss side has struggled to score goals on several occasions and have also had problems finishing games, having lost four of their ten European Championship qualifiers by conceding a goal in the last ten minutes.
The direct preparation – now in Germany – was clearly smoother for Hungary. While the Swiss were complaining about the quality of their training pitch, Rossi’s team was preparing in the picturesque southern Bavaria town of Weiler-Simmerberg with its 6,500 inhabitants, in conditions that met all their needs, amid the love and enthusiasm of the locals and the Hungarians living in the area.
However, Switzerland, despite its problems, has a stronger team, which the Hungarians will have to compensate for with their team spirit and cohesion. Almost all of the rivals’ players are in the top flight of Europe’s most prestigious leagues, and as a result they have not only qualified for all the world tournaments since 2014, but have also progressed from the group stage in those tournaments. Three years ago, they also knocked out then world champions France, before losing to Spain.
The match between Hungary and Switzerland will kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne,
accommodating nearly 50,000 spectators, and will be broadcast live on M4 Sport, Kossuth Radio, and Nemzeti Sportrádió (National Sports Radio).
The RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. Photo via MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
Hungarian national team player Márton Dárdai stressed: “the atmosphere is good, we spend a lot of time together. (…) So far, I have not seen anybody getting nervous about the European Championship,” said the Hertha BSC player. He revealed that Marco Rossi considers him as a center-back, while the Italian head coach also sees his ability to play as a midfielder, as he does for his club, as an advantage.
Photo via MTI/Illyés Tibor
The Hungarian national team will start their continental campaign against Switzerland in Cologne on Saturday, before meeting hosts Germany in Stuttgart on June 19, and Scotland four days later.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/MLSZ – Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség