Hungary draw brings relief and a warning for Germany

GUWAHATI: Wednesday’s Group F clash between Germany and Hungary in Munich at the European Championship had an unusual backdrop to it – escalating diplomatic feud between the European Union’s leading nations and member state Hungary over the latter passing a law banning content deemed to promote homosexuality from school educational materials and children’s television shows.

With UEFA also ending up as an unwilling participant in the tussle, football almost seemed to have taken a back seat by the time the game kicked off simultaneously alongside the group’s other match in Budapest between holders Portugal against world champions France.

By the end of the game, however, the conversation had shifted well beyond Hungary’s premier Viktor Orban. Playing in the enemy’s den, the Marco Rossi-coached Hungary produced a performance to remember as they came within minutes of knocking out the three-time European champions.

If skipper Adam Szalai’s strike had stunned Munich, Hungary showed it was no fluke in the way they regained the lead through Andras Schafer immediately after Kai Havertz’s equaliser. It was Leon Goretzka’s 84th minute strike that prevented another shock group stage exit for Germany after the 2018 World Cup.

The 2-2 draw eliminated Rossi’s side who finished at the bottom of the group. But the once-mighty Magyars went out with their heads high. After a 3-0 defeat against Portugal, courtesy of three late goals, a 1-1 draw against world champions France and Wednesday’s result, Hungary’s two points from the competition’s toughest group doesn’t reflect badly on their campaign.

Moral victory

As Rossi told reporters afterwards: “It’s unbelievable that we are disappointed after a 2-2 in Munich and that the Germans are celebrating. This speaks for itself. We are disappointed because we were very close to going through, and the guys would have deserved it.”

For Germany and Joachim Loew, who is leaving the head coach’s role after this tournament, the draw came as both a relief and a warning ahead of their last-16 clash against England. Germany’s inability to manage the game against a far weaker side on paper would not have escaped the notice of Gareth Southgate’s England.

With over three-fourths of possession, Germany struggled to break down a compact Hungarian defence. Hungary managed just over a quarter of Germany’s completed passes and yet seemed the more comfortable of the teams at times. The lack of focus that led to Hungary’s second goal, immediately on restart after Havertz scored, would also cause a few concerns for Loew ahead of the clash at Wembley.

“Wembley suits us, but we needed a more dominant and confident performance to go into the game (against England) with a top feeling,” said Germany skipper Manuel Neuer after the game.

The upside for Loew’s side is that against England they should be able to find more space in the final third. The Germans also have prior experience of beating the English in major competitions – most recently at the 2010 World Cup in the last-16 and previously at Wembley itself, via penalties, in the Euro 1996 semi-final.