“For half a century, the Hungarians wondered if they would ever have a football team they could be proud of again, but as the players stood in front of their fans and sang the anthem with them as their tears welled, it became clear: The wait is over, ”writes Reuters looking back at the Germany-Hungary European Championship group match (2–2).
“The minutes preserve that after three matches, Hungary finished unbeaten in the last place in the Group F and was eliminated from the European Championship – writes Simon Evans, Reuters is a leading football journalist who, as a former correspondent in Budapest, is a very good acquaintance with Hungarian football. “But if we take a different approach, we see that the team of the most difficult group, which has been declared hopeless, has kept pace with the world champion and now with a gold chance of the French, and was six minutes away from reaping a victory in Germany.”
If they could ignore the last six minutes of the match against the Portuguese, when they scored three goals, they would be unbeaten – the writing continues, “And looking at their loud and proud fans, we can look at them anyway.”
“Hungary’s greatest team, the team marked by Ferenc Puskás and Nándor Hidegkuti, suffered their most painful defeat in the 1954 World Championship final, and the country was not really able to process that black day. The current outcome will also hurt, but unlike the defeat in Bern, it could be a symbol of the beginning of a bright era, not a disintegration of a dream. ”
Evans predicts that the Hungarian national team, which plays passionate and purposeful football and has shown extraordinary tactical discipline thanks to the remarkable work of Federal Captain Marco Rossi, will receive a heroic reception when he returns home.
According to Reuters, the Hungarian team was lucky more than once in the match against the French, as the “blue” attackers were not sharp enough in front of the goal, but not only was the defense against the Germans stable, but the danger was hidden throughout the counterattacks.
Ádám Szalai’s early leading goal, beautiful shot by Roland Sallai, speeding down Loic Nego and Attila Fiola on the wings, László Kleinheisler’s relentless fighting spirit, Ádám Nagy’s calm game organization, Endre Botka and Willi Orbán’s position in the middle of the defense, András Schäfer’s quick response were all key factors, “But what gave the deepest impression to the Hungarians is their self-confidence, which is not typical of so many former teams.”
And although a snap shot ended the adventure six minutes before it was blown away, “After a long period of decline, when the Hungarians were overwhelmed by strong opponents standing up with the stars, this current team was happy to show its skills against world-class opponents.”
All of this worked, and their humble Italian captain, who was employed only in the lower classes in his homeland, is aware of exactly what this team has achieved, writes Simon Evans, and then quotes Marco Rossi: “In all three matches, the guys fought like lions and made the whole country proud. We were not scared of any famous opponent, we fought shoulder to shoulder with everyone. ”
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
GROUP F, ROUND 3
GERMANY-HUNGARY 2–2 (0–1)
Munich, Allianz Arena, 12 413 viewer. Led by: Karasev (Russian)
Germany: Neuer – Ginter (Volland, 82.), Hummels, Rüdiger – Kimmich, Gündogan (Goretzka, 58.), Kroos, Gosens (Musiala, 82.) – Havertz (Werner, 68.), Sané – Gnabry (Th. Müller, 68.). Federal Captain: Joachim Löw
Hungary: Gulácsi – Nego, Botka, Orbán, Szalai A., Fiola (Nikolics, 88.) – Kleinheisler (Lovrencsics G., 88.), Nagy Á., Schäfer – Sallai R. (Schön, 75.), Szalai Á. (Varga K., 82.). Federal Captain: Marco Rossi
Gólszerző: Havertz (66th), Goretzka (84th), ill. Szalai Á. (11th), German Shepherd (68th)
YOU CAN READ THE TEXT OF THE MATCH CLICK HERE!
National Sports reports on the venue: Bence Babják, István Kocsmár-Tóth, Tibor Pietsch, Ádám Tóth (text); Károly Árvai, Miklós Szabó (Photo).
In another match of the group
Portugal-France 2–2 (C. Ronaldo 31, 60 – both from 11, and Benzema 45 + 2, 47 – the first from 11)
| 1. France | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | 4–3 | +1 | 5 |
| 2. Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6–5 | +1 | 4 |
| 3. Portugal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7–6 | +1 | 4 |
| 4. HUNGARY | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | 3–6 | –3 | 2 |
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