Germany vs Hungary

Adam Szalai's first-half goal fired Hungary to a shock 1-0 win in Germany to end the hosts' chances of reaching the Nations League finals.

Szalai’s goal, a brilliantly improvised heel-flick volley from a near-post corner, was little more than they deserved and Daniel Gazdag might even have made it 2-0 later in the first half. But there was a lack of killer instinct, a curious absence of purpose, the sense that they are still somehow less than the sum of their parts. Even Szalai’s early goal was met not with tantrums and mutinies from the Leipzig crowd but the sort of disinterested shrug with which one might greet a pitch invader. Off came the intermittent Serge Gnabry, with Thilo Kehrer slotting into right-back and Jonas Hofmann, the previous occupant of that position, moving to left-wing. Of course they do not really do introspection here, and certainly nothing on the scale of panic. Hofmann is one of those players that international coaches just adore: technically gifted, defensively disciplined, effortlessly versatile and with an engine that could drive you to Minsk. The full-backs Jonas Hofmann and David Raum provide the width. Such was the case in 2018 and 2021, when Joachim Löw’s rusting machine sleepwalked Certainly they improved and created enough in the second half to suggest that there are still extra gears to be found. Still, his flash of inspiration was enough to give his side the win and keep them on course for unlikely The veteran Hungarian Adam Szalai is 34 years old and could probably try to recreate his winning goal for 34 more without finding the net. As he watched his side toil in their last home fixture before the World Cup, he simply paced down the sideline, hands in pockets, as if taking a stroll in a park.