Hungary perhaps aren’t the most eye-catching name in the EURO2024 lineup – but spectators would be foolish to count them out of qualifying from Group A. Their last two European Championships have ended in heartbreak despite some strong performances against top teams, and with the addition of their youthful captain Dominik Szoboszlai, they certainly have the potential to raise some eyebrows in Germany.
2016 saw Hungary’s return to the European Championships after more than 40 years away, and they impressed by surviving the group stage undefeated and progressing to the round-of-16: the highlight was a gripping 3-3 draw with Portugal that ranks among the best matches of the tournament. Zoltán Gera’s brilliant opening strike was the showpiece for the Hungarians, who took the lead twice more through Balázs Dzsudzsák – only to face three equalisers from the eventual champions.
The fairytale disintegrated in the round-of-16, where the Magyarok fell to a 4-0 defeat against Belgium. Their return in EURO2020 as one of several host nations was less successful on paper, but they made a mighty effort as underdogs in the undisputed ‘Group of Death’. Rossi’s side faced three titans of European football in France, Germany, and Portugal, and held two to draws – but it wasn’t enough to progress past the group stage.
Embed from Getty ImagesHaving been unlucky to be knocked out by some of the competition’s strongest teams in their previous two campaigns, Hungary will be looking to secure a placing that better fits their efforts this time around.
Italian ex-pro Marco Rossi took charge of the side in 2018 and has since guided them to qualification for two consecutive European Championships – a significant achievement considering that before 2016, they had not qualified for over 40 years.
After managerial spells at several Italian clubs, he made the move to Hungarian football to manage Budapest Honvéd in 2012 and ended their 24-year league title drought in 2017, a feat that impressed enough to earn him the national team role.
His maiden European campaign in 2020 ended disappointingly early, albeit in the toughest group of the tournament. This time around, the Italian will be looking to better that result and hopefully match – if not exceed – their progress to the round-of-16 eight years ago.
Their pre-tournament efforts are not to be sneered at, either. The Magyars booked their tickets to Germany by finishing top of their qualifying group, undefeated and boasting 5 wins from their 8 games. Their campaign wasn’t without hitches – there was a goalless draw with Montenegro, and Attila Szalai’s teammates saved his blushes with a comeback win after his own goal gave Serbia an early lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey got over the line with a last-gasp equaliser in Bulgaria, a dramatic affair that ended with both teams down to ten players: Hungary had the last laugh when Alex Petkov headed home in the dying seconds of stoppage time. Captain Dominik Szoboszlai and Barnabás Varga were joint-second in the group’s goalscoring charts with four each, only behind Serbian maestro Aleksandar Mitrović.
However, Rossi’s side’s unbeaten run ended in their pre-tournament friendlies – they recorded victories against Türkiye and Kosovo in March, but were rocked by 92nd minute goal from the Republic of Ireland in their penultimate pre-tournament game.
Szoboszlai’s penalty was enough for a win in their contest with Türkiye, and he opened the scoring again in their 2-0 victory over Kosovo. He was also a standout in the loss to Ireland, crucial in the building of their only goal. The gut-punch late goal came as a storming counterattack – it was much too easy for Ireland’s attackers to pull away from the Hungarian back line, and it is the sort of concession they will need to avoid if they are to progress from a difficult group.
They still have a final friendly to play against Israel on 8th June, with the match coming as one last chance to shore up confidence and iron out wrinkles before the tournament gets underway.
Hungary have been drawn in Group A, alongside hosts Germany, 2020 quarterfinalists Switzerland, and underdogs Scotland (who have never moved past the group stage at the EUROs). Qualification will not be easy, but is surely achievable – Marco Rossi has an array of talent to draw on in the Hungarian ranks.
Embed from Getty ImagesTheir campaign kicks off in Cologne, at 2pm on 15th June, and will be live on ITV – a tough test, with the Swiss looking to reach the knockout stages for a sixth consecutive major tournament. Things are likely to get even more difficult when they encounter hosts Germany in Stuttgart the following Wednesday, who are being eyed by bookmakers as among the favourites for the championship. That match will be keenly watched on BBC One at 5pm – but the key fixture will be against Scotland on 23rd June.
If all proceeds as expected, the second qualification spot (assuming Germany top the group) will go down to the wire and that game between the two may well determine who is on the first plane home – and who contests the round-of-16. The BBC will televise that possible decider, kicking off at 8pm in Stuttgart – and FromTheSpot will be covering each of Group A’s fixtures in detail.
In selecting his 26 players to take to Germany, Rossi has had an abundance of experience to choose from – RB Leipzig captain Willi Orbán, his clubmate and goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi, and Ádám Nagy are among the older, more experienced heads in the back line. They all return from the squad of 2020; however, there are fresher faces that fans will hope can make the difference this year.
20-year-old Milos Kerkez made his senior debut in 2022 and has shored up a place in the defence since, but the real one to watch will be Dominik Szoboszlai. The adaptable midfielder has inherited the captain’s armband at just 23 – no mean feat, considering it’s also been worn by the likes of Ferenc Puskás. Despite his critical role in helping the Magyars qualify for EURO2020, he was forced out of the final squad through injury. There is no shortage of pressure on the young Liverpool midfielder as he finds himself in the unusual situation of captaining his country at his first major international tournament.
While certainly not among the bookmakers’ favourites for the championship, Hungary boast a strong mix of defensive experience and youthful versatility in attack that could just see them set the cat among the pigeons in Group A. If they can compete with higher-ranked teams in the same manner as they did in 2020, they will have as good a shot as anyone at progressing to the round of 16.
You can read more about their group, and follow all the action from the tournament in Germany, here on FromTheSpot.