The Hungarian national football team secured its second preparation match victory of the year against Kosovo on Tuesday. In the first ever match between the two teams, Hungarian standout Dominik Szoboszlai netted a goal in the 58th minute with a rebounded shot, while Zsolt Nagy sealed the final score in the 86th minute. The match was Marco Rossi’s 61st game, which marked his ascent to third place in the national team captains’ ranking, drawing level with Kálmán Mészöly.

The Hungarian national team is currently on an

unbeaten streak spanning 14 matches,

a record previously equalled only by the legendary Golden Team following their defeat in the 1954 World Cup final in Bern. Led by Ferenc Puskás, the team remained undefeated for 18 consecutive matches.

Szoboszlai said in his post-match statement that he was dissatisfied with the first half, a sentiment he believed was shared among all Hungarian players. However, he noted their ability to respond positively after the break, attributing this turnaround to the team’s 2-0 victory. ‘We made the exact mistakes in the first half that we had discussed avoiding, but we learned from them,’ Szoboszlai stressed. He emphasized that every player is needed for success in games like this.

He further expressed his satisfaction with the Hungarian national team’s unbeaten streak of 14 matches, highlighting that this accomplishment was also the motivation behind national team captain Marco Rossi’s encouragement to ‘maintain it as long as possible.’ ‘Now we’re reaching a stage where our aim isn’t just to remain unbeaten, but to continue winning. That’s my mindset, and I believe it’s shared by every single player on the national team,’ he remarked.

Before Tuesday’s match, the Hungarian national team hosted Türkiye at the Puskás Arena on Friday, 22 March, securing victory by one goal. Once again, the goal was netted by Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored from a penalty early in the second half.

The national team is set to participate in two additional preparation matches ahead of the European Championship in Germany, which kicks off on 14 June. Initially, the team will travel to Dublin to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on 4 June. Following this, they will return home to the Puskás Arena to take on Israel on 8 June.

On Tuesday, the finals of the European Championship qualifiers also took place, finalizing the full line-up for the summer tournament. Poland emerged victorious over Wales in Cardiff, securing their spot through penalties. Meanwhile, Ukraine triumphed over Iceland in Wroclaw, and Georgia overcame Greece in a penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw. Notably,

Georgia qualified for the continental tournament for the first time in their history.

In the upcoming Group F matches, they will contend against Türkiye, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.

The Hungarian national team is slated to compete in Group A alongside the hosts Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland. Following yesterday’s match, Marco Rossi shared his thoughts regarding the squad for the European Championship. He expressed a desire for healthy competition for every position within the team, citing the rivalry between goalkeepers Péter Gulácsi and Dénes Dibusz as exemplary. Additionally, Rossi specifically mentioned Roland Sallai and Dominik Szoboszlai, acknowledging them as players whose quality would be challenging to replicate with substitutes of similar calibre.

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