The Hungarian national football team are playing Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight in League A of the UEFA Nations League. Last month, the game between the same two sides finished in a goalless tie at the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary. However, Marco Rossi and his men are in a lot better mood ahead of this game against Bosnia than they were in September.
Back then, they had to face the former Yugoslav nation after being battered 5–0 in Germany. This time, however, their last game was an impressive 1–1 against the other top team in the group, the Netherlands.
While it was the Dutch who were on the front foot for most of the game, Hungary took the lead in the 32nd minute. Rolland Sallai put away a great cross into the box by Zsolt Nagy at the far post.
Near the end of the first half, the fans got to witness a very unusual event in a football game. Captain Dominik Szoboszlai took a goal kick, but in an inexplicable error, he took a double touch—meaning he kicked the ball again before anyone else touched it. That is against the rules, so the Netherlands got to take an indirect free kick from inside the box, about 10 yards out. Thankfully, Hungarian goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz made a great save, and was able to block the short-range shot from Szoboszlai’s Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo.
The Netherlands continued to press throughout the second half, but Hungary held on. Then, the Dutch captain, centre-back (and yet another Liverpool player on the pitch) Virgil Van Dijk was sent off with a second yellow in the 79th minute, with Hungary still leading by a goal. Just as the Hungarian fans were seeing a miracle win in close reach, Denzel Dumfries headed the equalizer after a free kick by Cody Gakpo in the 83rd minute.
Hungary had some smaller chances to retake the lead afterwards, but the scoreline stayed the same, 1–1.
This is no doubt still a respectable showing. The Dutch team made it to the sem-finals at Euro 2024 in Germany in the summer, and was only knocked out by England with a last-minute winner. Furthermore, the Netherlands won their last 10 games against Hungary, a run that included a 6–1, 7–1, and, the most infamous of them all, an 8–1 defeat for our boys.
So, Hungary can go into their next game in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina with confidence.
Alas, centre-back Márton Dárdai could not travel with the team. He had to be subbed off in halftime against the Netherlands due to a thigh injury, and has gone back to Berlin, Germany to his club Hertha BSC to be treated by the club’s medical staff.
‘We respect the Bosnian team a lot, but I am preparing my team for victory. I want to take the three points,’ Hungary national team coach Marco Rossi said at the pre-game press conference, according to the Hungarian sports daily Nemzeti Sport. Rossi will be coaching his 70th game on the bench of the Hungarian national team, officially overtaking the coach of the Puskás-led Magic Magyars of the 1950s, Gusztáv Sebes. Only Lajos Baróti has coached Hungary in more games than Rossi, 117.
This game between Hungary and Bosnia will most likely determine who can get the third place in the group, and thus have the chance to remain in the top division of the UEFA Nations League in the next season as well. Starting from this season, third-place finishers will have to play a play-off game against one of the second-place finishers from the division below to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, fourth-place finishers are still automatically relegated.
Related articles:
