The German European Championship party continues – and thanks to goal scorers Jamal Musiala and Ilkay Gündogan, the round of 16 is already booked. After the easy 5-1 goal fest against Scotland, the national football team earned the 2-0 (1-0) win against the still pointless Hungarians in their tournament debut in the pink and purple jersey, but mainly with a high workload.
The success in the loud Stuttgart stadium only became a highlight at the end. In the decisive moments, the DFB team was already fully there. After an energetic effort by captain Gündogan against Leipzig’s Willi Orbán in the penalty area, Musiala sent the fans into ecstasy for the first time with his second goal of the European Championship in the 22nd minute. It then took until the 67th minute for the reassuring second goal. This time Gündogan scored after a fine attacking move via Musiala and Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstädt.
But the defence was also challenged at several moments against the combative Hungarians. In addition to defensive tower Jonathan Tah, team senior Manuel Neuer also proved to be a great support in goal after a few mistakes before the home tournament.
The growing team of national coach Julian Nagelsmann will now play against Switzerland in Frankfurt on Sunday (9 p.m./ARD and Magenta TV) for group victory. The further path to the final on July 14 in Berlin would then lead via Dortmund, Stuttgart and Munich in the knockout round. For the first time, the German fans chanted: “Berlin, Berlin, we’re going to Berlin!” In Germany, people are dreaming of the title.
Neuer shows the critics
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also did not want to miss the match in perfect weather conditions. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin sat between the two top politicians. She and the other 50,000 spectators saw a hard-fought and eventful European Championship match.
“The second step also works” – under this motto, Nagelsmann sent out exactly the same starting eleven onto the Stuttgart pitch that had given the Scots no chance in the opening match five days earlier and noticeably increased the European Championship euphoria in the country. But the national coach also warned before kick-off: “The opponent will challenge us physically more than the Scots, especially in the early stages.”
Just 15 seconds later, it became clear how right Nagelsmann was: Roland Sallai pressed Joshua Kimmich, who was inattentive in his own penalty area, the Freiburg player won the ball and forced Manuel Neuer to make a brilliant save. The brilliant Bayern player, who equalled the Italian Gianluigi Buffon’s goalkeeping record in his 17th European Championship game, showed his critics not only in this situation.
Foul or no foul on the opening goal?
The scene was like a wake-up call for the DFB team, which took up the fight and, led by the more conspicuous Gündogan this time, created early chances. Kai Havertz (11th) energetically pushed past Orbán, but his shot from close range was stopped by the brilliantly reacting Péter Gulácsi, who also plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
The lead was then an absolute act of willpower from several protagonists: Tah initiated a counterattack with an impressive flying tackle. The ball landed in the penalty area via the magic duo of Florian Wirtz and Musiala, where Gündogan prevailed against the stumbling Orbán with a hard but fair physical effort. Musiala converted Gündogan’s back pass with a deflected shot under the crossbar.
The Hungarians were by no means shocked by the deficit. Just four minutes after the 1-0, Neuer made another spectacular save, this time against a free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. Another dangerous shot from the ex-Leipzig player was blocked three minutes later by the attentive Tah. On the other side, Musiala (44th minute), who had much more to offer than his congenial partner Wirtz, hit the side netting shortly before the half-time whistle.
Hungary tries counterattack
Even after the break, the Germans had the majority of possession. Despite being behind, the Hungarians, coached by Italian Marco Rossi, retreated far back in order to win the ball and use quick counterattacks to achieve success.
After the missed double chance by Gündogan and Toni Kroos (55th minute), Nagelsmann provided a new impetus from the bench and brought on fresh attacking forces in Niclas Füllkrug and Leroy Sané for Havertz and Wirtz. But Gündogan made it 2-0, crowning his strong performance with a goal.