A riot greeted the arrival of the German team bus. Inside the Neckartstadion, the German fans accompanied the chorus of the festive Sweet Caroline. Already qualified for the round of 16, Germany is a lively party for the summer solstice in which beer is consumed in the streets and the attractive game of its team is celebrated. The playful spirit of football from Nagelsmann’s Germany invades the country and buries German sobriety. The proposal already allowed him to beat Scotland in his debut and last night to shake off proud Hungary, which gave him some scares or another. Goals from Musiala and Gündogan certified German superiority.
2
Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Antonio Rüdiger, Robert Andrich, Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Gündogan, Florian Wirtz, Toni Kroos, Kai Havertz, Leroy Sané (Florian Wirtz, min. 57), Niclas Füllkrug (Kai Havertz, min. 57), Emre Can (Robert Andrich, min. 71), Chris Führich (Jamal Musiala, min. 71) and Deniz Undav (Ilkay Gündogan, min. 83)
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Péter Gulácsi, Márton Dárdai, Willi Orbán, Attila Fiola, Milos Kerkez, András Schäfer, Bendegúz Bolla, Ádám Nagy, Roland Sallai, Barnabás Varga, Dominik Szoboszlai, László Kleinheisler (Ádám Nagy, min. 63), Martin Ádám (Bendegúz Bolla, min. 74), Zsolt Nagy (Milos Kerkez, min. 74), Dániel Gazdag (Barnabás Varga, min. 86) and Kevin Csoboth (Roland Sallai, min. 86)
Goals
1-0 min. 21: Jamal Musiala. 2-0 min. 66: Gundogan
Referee Danny Makkelie
Barnabás Varga (min. 22), Rüdiger (min. 26), Mittelstädt (min. 88), Rossi (min. 92), Dominik Szoboszlai (min. 92)
The Hungarians have not put together a team like that of the Puskas, Hidegkuti, Czibor or Kocsis who elevated the so-called Danube school. Defeated in the final like the Netherlands of ’74, Hungary was the moral winner of the ’54 World Cup. At least, their current coach, the Italian Marco Rossi, has gotten them into two consecutive European Championships with daring football to the best of their ability. .
This is not a dizzying Germany, conditioned by the recruitment of Kroos. This one amasses countless passes and has to execute a dozen corner kicks due to the dominance to which Germany subjects its rivals. His problems can be seen in his desire to play so much inside with short combinations, sometimes impossible due to the multitude of legs that crowd together in the front of the area. The light Wirtz and Musiala are the ones in charge of filtering through the rival lines to dismantle them with their imagination. And when they can’t, their captain, Ilkay Gündogan, is always very close to them. The Barcelona midfielder has emerged in this Euro Cup as the great reference for his team along with Kroos. It was he who unblocked the duel with a maneuver like a seasoned veteran. He struggled with a Hungarian defender to anticipate and save a rebound from Gulacsi. With his back at the top of the small area, he stepped on the ball to free himself from the goal and Musiala finished off the cross behind him.
Hungary did not lose face despite the blow. The elegant Szoboszlai sent Neuer flying into the squad in a direct free kick in which he showed the cannon he has on his right leg. A few minutes later, center back Tah, Kroos’s great collaborator in building the game from behind, executed a prodigious cross before another shot from Szoboszlai that drew a cross path that was unattainable for Neuer.
Hungarian offensive activity decreased when Germany became abusive in handling the ball. They were minutes in which Musiala liked his dribbling and the stands were amazed and delighted with some filigrees on the balcony of the area that ended with Kroos cheered while he ran from flag to flag to take a corner. If in the opening match in Munich he was revered, in the Neckarstadion he had another massive support. Each match is perceived as a tribute from the German fans who act as hosts.
Kroos marks that slow style with which Germany tries to play games against closed defenses. But Nagelsmann also has another Germany in store on the run when he detects that the game is getting thicker. With the first two changes he made, Sané for Wirtz and the Fullkrug tank for Havertz, that other Germany emerged that was more vertical and more willing to play the center and the shot.
With fifth gear engaged, he scored the second goal, finished off by Gundogan coming from the second line. The goal was already final. Hungary’s approaches were more boisterous, which allowed the Germans to gallop into open fields. It was Sané who monopolized the majority of the conductions and showed the reason for his substitution. When he did not sin as an individualist, he chose either late or poorly the destiny of his life. In one, he even adorned the outside of his foot, when on the right he had Fullkrug unmarked. The Dortmund attacker was furious, but even more so was Nagelsmann, who wants a permanent collective party.
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