UEFA Euro: National Team in a Difficult Situation after Losing to Hosts Germany

The Hungarian national football team suffered a 2-0 defeat to hosts Germany in Wednesday’s Group A match, putting them in a difficult position to progress.

Marco Rossi’s side was more organized, disciplined, and steadier than in the opening round match against Switzerland, however they still could not avoid going into the break without receiving a goal. Hungary had some dangerous attacks in the match, but Ilkay Gündogan’s goal in the second half sealed the game and ensured Germany’s progress, while putting Hungary in a difficult position.

The Hungarian team will face Scotland in the third and final round of the group stage on Sunday at 9 p.m. and must win to keep their chances of reaching the last 16.

According to head coach Rossi, the Hungarian national football team will be looking for a win in their final group game on Sunday, as they do not deserve to go out without a point. “We worked on tactics and mentality and the players responded well. (…) In attack we tried to play on the edge, we created a lot of chances, but today we were not lucky,” he noted.

Rossi said the referee was the worst on the pitch because he blew the whistle with double standards. He said that Danny Makkelie “allowed a goal on a push on Willi Orbán. However, in the second half in a similar situation on (Germany midfielder Robert) Andrich, the referee whistled a foul.” He also found it strange that the video referee did not signal. “Germany did not need judicial assistance, it would have won without it. We will see whether the referees will do the same against France, for example,” stressed the 59-year-old. German player Gündogan was bemused by the reaction of the Hungarians, saying that “I was quite surprised the Hungary players were angry about it.” The incident was reported in several newspapers around the world, some of which described it as controversial.

Jamal Musiala opens the scoring for Germany

But was it a foul in the build up?#Euro2024 #GERHUN pic.twitter.com/3AINw3BLTb

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 19, 2024

As for the continuation of the European Championship, Rossi noted that with two defeats, they are already one foot out of the tournament, but they are not mathematically eliminated. “Scotland is a team that is very strong physically, hence it could make things difficult for us. What is important is that we show what our fans always ask us to show. To do that we need to be well-organized,” he underlined.

German head coach Julian Nagelsmann pointed out that, “The Hungarian team were a tough opponent, as always. They played with power, therefore they caused us some problems, but we remained solid. However, the statistics clearly show that we were better, whether you look at shots, goals, or even possession.”

“I am proud of the team, we gave it our all, we poured our hearts out, but unfortunately even that was not enough. However, if we look at things realistically, this is the step we still have to take, because the Germans are so much better,” emphasized team captain Dominik Szoboszlai. The 23-year-old midfielder added that the national team was “compact,” and defended when they needed to.

Ádám Nagy stressed that the only thing that counts at the UEFA Euro is the final result, which is why they are angry and disappointed. “If you look at the game, it was a completely different game than against Switzerland. I think if we could have done that there, we would have been guaranteed a point, thus we can be angry with ourselves,” said the midfielder of Italian second division, Spezia Calcio.

Bendegúz Bolla revealed that Rossi also felt that they had done their best, so the head coach told his players to come off the pitch with their heads held high.

“What we showed today I think can be a good basis for the clash against Scotland, because it looked much better than the game against Switzerland,” he concluded.

Via MTI; Featured image via MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd