Hungarian national team: We could crown this series with the group final against Italy – Rossi

Vágólapra másolva!

2022.09.24. 18:17

Címkék

As we reported, Hungary defeated the host Germany 1-0 in the fifth round of Group A of the Nations League in Leipzig with a wonder goal from Ádám Szalai. Marco Rossi praised Ádám Szalai, who scored the winning goal, in front of the cameras of M4 Sport.

"Before the match, I told him (Ádám Szalai – the ed.) that he will definitely remember his last two matches. This goal, in this stadium, against Germany, makes it even more incredible," Marco Rossi said of Ádám Szalai. “He's a player who, unfortunately, was and still is much more highly respected abroad than in Hungary, especially by those who understand football."

**FLICK: I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A BAD FIRST HALF AS HEAD COACH**
"I have to say the Hungarian team did their job well, defended very well, made life difficult for us with simple techniques because they gave us very little space. The first half of the game was the worst half of my 14 matches with the national team. There was a lack of courage, a lack of intensity, and we also made a lot of mistakes. The second half was better, but we created only a few opportunities," said German national team head coach Hansi Flick self-critically. He also admitted he had not expected to see his team have only a few opportunities during the game.

"Ádám very much deserves all the praise. He did an amazing job in defense, as did the other forwards, too. He has worked a lot. We did a great job in the first half, then in the second half, we were pinned down, we had to defend very deep, and the team got tired. That's why we substituted players," Rossi assessed, adding that Szalai neutralized Joshua Kimmich for 50 minutes and didn't allow him to operate with short passes.

The Hungarian national team plays a group final against Italy next Monday for first place.

“We could crown this series with the group final against Italy,” the head coach said, who was hoping for a draw in the other group match. “The next match will be extremely special for me. We are delighted to have already secured second place. Ten points in five games - no one would have thought of that. We should be grateful to the players for their efforts."

"We are very strong mentally," András Schäfer said. "We can say that towards the end of a series like this. We've proven many times how well we work together, how much we can fight for each other, and how strong we are mentally from the beginning to the end of the game. We've made a lot of progress in this compared to last year's European Championship, where we always conceded goals at the end. I am very proud of the team."

He also added, “The other thing is that we had such opportunities that we could win with, but of course, they were in an advantage.”

Because Italy defeated England, first place in the group is not yet guaranteed for the Hungarian team.

"We would have been happier if it could've been a more celebratory game, but it still could be. In front of sixty-seven thousand people, it will be a very good task, perhaps the best task we could wish for."

NATIONS LEAGUE
LEAGUE A, GROUP 3
ROUND 5
GERMANY-HUNGARY 0–1 (0–1)
Leipzig, Red Bull Arena, 39 513 spectators. Referee: Vincic (Slovenia)
GERMANY: Ter Stegen – J. Hofmann, Süle, Rüdiger, Raum – Kimmich, Gündogan (Musiala, 69.) – Gnabry (Kehrer, after halftime), Th. Müller (L. Nmecha, 85.), L. Sané – Werner (Havertz, 69.). Head coach: Hans-Dieter Flick
HUNGARY: Gulácsi – Lang, Orbán, A. Szalai– Fiola, Á. Nagy (Styles, 78.), Schäfer, Kerkez – Gazdag (Kleinheisler, 67.), Szoboszlai (Négo, 85.) – Á. Szalai (Ádám, 67.). Head coach: Marco Rossi
Goalscorer: Á. Szalai (17.)

The other in the group
Italy-England 1–0 (Raspadori 68.)