Germany Advances to Euro 2024 Knockouts with 2-0 Victory Over Hungary
Germany’s dominant 2-0 victory against Hungary in the Euro 2024 Group A match played in Stuttgart demonstrated their title potential.
This victory, which comes after their thrilling 5-1 victory over Scotland, highlights their ability to win the championship.
Germany completed the task in a way that their great teams would have been proud of. With a great deal of toughness, professionalism, and without any fuss. It’s a very German custom, something we have grown accustomed to seeing in important competitions; anything other (such as the past few years) is an anomaly.
Germany’s 2-0 victory over Hungary in Group A ensured their place in the knockout stages. To their credit, Hungary made life difficult for the hosts. But goals from Ilkay Gundogan (67′) and Jamal Musiala (22′) proved sufficient in a match that occasionally had the potential to become something exceptional but never quite happened.
Hungary had the better start to the match; they were pressing Germany and displaying the kind of effort they badly missed in their 3-1 loss to Switzerland. In the first few minutes of play, Hungary also forced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to make a save. Though it was more of a tackle than a typical save, he nonetheless completed the task.
For the first ten minutes, the Hungarians remained in control until Germany found its groove. The ball suddenly found its way to Germany, and all of the activity was focused on Hungary’s goal.
Hungary would occasionally still purposefully respond, but it was clear to everyone in the stadium that Germany was in charge. Eventually, something had to give, and it did.
Gundogan has built a profession out of illuminating everyone around him. He puts in the long hours and dirty labor while letting his teammates do their magic. That was perfectly exemplified by the opening goal.
Willi Orban was sent flying when the German captain challenged him, but despite everyone in white watching, Gundogan showed incredible work ethic to go to the loose ball, which Musiala scored with grace. Although a VAR review of the goal revealed nothing wrong, some may also have pointed to Gundogan’s knee, which appeared to catch Orban.
But Hungary wasn’t finished, as Neuer had to make one more crucial save to maintain Germany’s advantage. The 26th-minute free-kick by Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to be headed into the right corner, but he blocked it with his arms alone and moved swiftly enough to stop a follow-up.
The 38-year-old received some criticism during the qualification season, but based on his recent performance, it appears like he is back to his best.
Just before the half ended, a goal by Hungary to tie the score was disallowed for offside. After Szoboszlai swung the ball into the penalty area, Neuer flapped it into the path of Sallai, who nodded it home. Orban then flicked the ball on. However, Germany exhaled a breath of relief as the flag was raised.
Nevertheless, in international football, a one-nil advantage is meaningless, and Germany knew they would need another to feel comfortable.
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There were no significant tactical adjustments made in the second half, and Germany maintained the most of the possession. Hungary would go to any lengths to extract a concession from the hosts, but it never seemed risky.
Still, Gundogan’s slotting of the second calmed any anxieties that may have been. Instead of blasting it as some may have done, he tucked away his 19th international goal to put an end to any further fight Hungary had.
The sequence of exquisitely fast passes in the lead-up was what made the goal unique. When Germany is playing this well, they appear to be a really difficult team to defeat.
Once again, Toni Kroos was masterfully managing the midfield as only he can, freeing up the rest of the team to simply play Germany. Maybe this will serve as a message to the other teams: if you don’t remove him from the game, he will make things very tough for you.
This club, led by manager Julian Nagelsmann, is playing in a way that avoids any sense of forced play. The group appears at ease in the middle, and their football game reflects that as well.
Although there are always expectations, Germany has managed to brush them off for the time being in a really positive manner.
Captain Ilkay Gundogan of Germany stated:
“We are improving, but with that improvement comes new challenges.
This game today demonstrated that, particularly in the first half, but that’s the nature of the competition—you have to weather these kinds of circumstances. After surviving, we retaliated.”
Additionally, Manuel Neuer said:
“That was a crucial matter. We were looking to validate what we had done against Scotland. We were aware going into the game that playing Hungary would not be easy.
“When you observe the people’s euphoria, you can sense it. It’s a pleasant vibe. Germany is always favored, but we still have homework to complete.”
