Germany beat Hungary 2-0 in the second match of Group A of the 2024 European Cup. This result brought Julian Nagelsmann's squad through to the round of 16.
Playing at the Stuttgart Arena, Wednesday (19/6), Germany opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Jamal Musiala's shot which completed Ilkay Gündoğan's pass. In the second half, it was the captain's turn to get his name on the scoreboard with a shot in the 67th minute.
The additional three points make Germany firmly at the top of Group A with six points. Meanwhile, Hungary has not won any points after suffering two defeats.
The course of the match
Hungary threatened when the game had only been running for 15 seconds. Rolland Sallai won the battle for the ball with Joshua Kimmich to enter the German penalty box, but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
It was Germany's turn to spread the threat in the 5th minute through Kai Havertz, but his long-range shot was saved by the Hungarian goalkeeper, Peter Gulácsi. Six minutes later, the Arsenal striker won the battle for the ball with Willi Orban, but failed to beat Gulácsi in a one-on-one duel.
The hosts' efforts to score a new goal came to fruition in the 22nd minute. Jamal Musiala completed Ilkay Gündoğan's pass with a close-range shot that Gulácsi failed to save
The Hungarian players protested against this goal because they felt that Gündoğan had first 'pushed' Orban to control the ball before passing it to Musiala. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) declared the goal valid. Contact between Orban and Gündoğan was not a violation.
Hungary tried to equalize the score. Dominik Szoboszlai had a chance from a free kick in the 26th minute, but the one aimed at the left corner of the goal was successfully blocked by Neuer. He also blocked Barnabás Varga's close-range shot not long after. Score 1-0 closed the first half.
In the second half, Toni Kroos had the chance to add to Germany's score with a long-range shot in the 55th minute, but Gulácsi performed brilliantly to deny it. Only in the 67th minute did the hosts score the second goal.
A pass circulation created by Germany ended up at the feet of Maximilian Mittelstädt who was on the left side. He cleverly sent a low cross to Gündoğan who entered the middle of the penalty box. The captain's shot into the right corner of the goal failed to be blocked by Gulácsi.
Winning by two goals did not reduce the intensity of Germany's attacks. They became even more enthusiastic, forcing Gulácsi to fall twice to secure his goal. After parrying Kimmich's shot in the 74th minute, it was Leroy Sané's turn to block a close-range opportunity.
In the end no more goals were scored. Germany locked in a 2-0 win.
