Aiming to build on their blistering start against Scotland, UEFA EURO 2024 hosts Germany locked horns with Group A rivals Hungary on Matchday 2. Hungary, who lost to Switzerland on Matchday 1, needed at least a point to give themselves a fighting chance to progress. But Die Mannschaft were in no mood to offer a free meal. They played to the best of their ability and ultimately came away with a comfortable 2-0 victory at the Stuttgart Arena.
Jamal Musiala & Ilkay Gundogan Sting Hungary In EURO 2024 Clash
Germany were at their sensational best in the EURO 2024 opener against Scotland, claiming a massive 5-1 victory. Hungary knew they could not give the hosts time to settle, so they piled men forward in search of a goal in the opening minute. The plan would have been successful had it not been for Manuel Neuer, who made himself big to deny Roland Sallai from close range. Ten minutes later, Kai Havertz came close to scoring for Die Mannschaft, but a sensational block from Bendeguz Bolla kept the Arsenal man from wheeling away in celebration.
The goal eventually came through the effervescent Jamal Musiala in the 22nd minute, who capitalized on the chaos inside the Hungary box to fire home from close range. Ilkay Gundogan played the final pass to the Bayern Munich attacker, commendably keeping his cool under pressure from Willi Orban. Four minutes later, Hungary came agonizingly close to scoring the equalizer. Dominik Szoboszlai dispatched a near-perfect free-kick from around 20 yards out, with his effort sailing toward the top-left corner. But just like last time, Neuer came to Germany’s rescue, making one of the saves of the tournament to deny the Liverpool midfielder.
Germany pushed hard for the insurance goal in the second half, and eventually, it came from the boot of their in-form skipper Gundogan. The Barcelona midfielder darted into the box before applying a neat, first-time finish to Maximilian Mittelstaedt’s low cross from the left. The 67th-minute goal took the wind out of Hungary’s sails, as they did not really threaten to hurt Germany for the remainder of the half.
Julian Nagelsmann Wants To Keep Germany Fans Dreaming
Julian Nagelsmann has enjoyed a perfect start to his first major tournament as Germany’s manager, and he wants to make the good feeling last as long as possible. After making Germany the first team to qualify for the Round of 16, Nagelsmann thanked fans for their unwavering support and vouched to keep pushing for continental glory.
He said in the post-match press conference (via The Print):
“It was very loud in the stadium – that just gives you a good feeling,” he said. “That helps us, which is hard to believe because we have such incredibly experienced and successful players but it does something with you. It moves you.
“It’s our task to let the fans keep dreaming.”
Germany will look to make it three out of three when they take on Switzerland in their final Group A game on Sunday night (June 23).
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
