After the goal festival against Bosnia-Herzegovina, there is nothing left for the German footballers in Hungary. This can be seen for a long time in the game at the end of the Nations League group phase. A last-minute penalty cost the DFB team what they thought was a certain victory.
Faint end to an exhilarating year: After months of enthusiasm and euphoria, the German national soccer team struggled to a disappointing 1-1 (0-0) draw in Hungary with a B team in the last international match of 2024. In the Nations League game in Budapest, Julian Nagelsmann’s second suit tweaked and tweaked, without stars like the magic feet Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, who were spared for an hour, the shine and the final greed were missing despite a certain dominance.
Kai Havertz only hit the post (63′). After the first international goal from debutant Felix Nmecha (76th), there was hope for an eleventh win in the 15th game of the European Championship year, but former Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai (90+9th) cheekily equalized after a handball from Robin Koch chipped penalty in the middle. The strong goalkeeper Alexander Nübel was left behind. After all, the only defeat was in the quarter-finals of the exciting home tournament against Spain (1:2 nV).
“Wow, the hand is on his body,” complained goal scorer Felix Nmecha on ZDF. “We have the hand problem again. He gets the ball at 100 kilometers,” rumbled Robert Andrich: “That spoils it, but we can still be happy with the year.”
Hungary: Dibusz/Ferencváros Budapest (34 Jahre/41 Länderspiele) – Fiola/Újpest FC (34/62), Orbán/Leipzig (32/54), Márton Dárdai/Hertha BSC (22/11) – Négo/Le Havre (33/39) ) ab 65. Gera/Diósgyőri VTK (29/4), Nikitscher/Kecskeméti TE (25/6) ab 65. Kata/MTK Budapest (22/4), Schäfer/Union Berlin (25/34), Zsolt Nagy/Puskás Akadémia FC (31/28) ab 82. Schön/Bolton (24/9) – Sallai/Galatasaray (27/58 ) ab 82. Csoboth/St. Gallen (24/15), Szoboszlai/Liverpool (24/51) – Varga/Ferencváros Budapest (30/20) ab 89. Gruber/Ferencváros Budapest (20/1); Trainer: Rossi
Deutschland: Nübel/Stuttgart (28/2) – Kimmich/FC Bayern (29/97) from 46. Gosens/Florence (30/23), Koch/Frankfurt (28/12), Schlotterbeck/Dortmund (24/18), Henrichs/ Leipzig (27/19) – Andrich/Leverkusen (30/16), Nmecha/Dortmund (24/3) – Sané/FC Bayern (28/67) from 80. Kleindienst/Mönchengladbach (29/4), Brandt/Dortmund (28/48) from 61. Havertz/Arsenal (25/55), Führich/Stuttgart (26/8) from 61. Musiala/FC Bayern (21/38) – Gnabry/FC Bayern (29/49) from 61. Wirtz/Leverkusen (21/29); Trainer: Nagelsmann
Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatian)
Tore: 0:1 Nmecha (76th), 1:1 Szoboszlai (90th + 9, hand penalty according to video evidence)
Yellow cards: Gera, Shepherd – Schlotterbeck, Wirtz (2), Andrich
Spectators in Budapest: 60,000 (sold out)
Out of consideration for the clubs in the Puskas Stadium, the national coach brought in nine new players compared to the furious 7-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina – group victory and the associated move into the quarter-finals were already certain. In the draw for the first knockout round on Friday, Italy, Croatia and Denmark are waiting as possible opponents for March 20th and 23rd. Wirtz will miss the first leg away due to a yellow card suspension.
Kimmich’s prediction is wrong
Out of consideration for the clubs in the Puskas Stadium, the national coach brought in nine new players compared to the furious 7-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina – group victory and the associated move into the quarter-finals were already certain. In the draw for the first knockout round on Friday, Italy, Croatia and Denmark are waiting as possible opponents for March 20th and 23rd. Wirtz will miss the first leg away due to a yellow card suspension.
Before kick-off, Nagelsmann presented his colleague Marco Rossi with a DFB jersey with well-wishes for his former Hoffenheim player Adam Szalai. The athletic coach is on the mend after his collapse last Saturday.
Joshua Kimmich was already busy with the lineup. “They deserve it,” said the captain about the newcomers and emphasized: “I am convinced that we will not have a major drop in quality.” But that was a fallacy on the part of the Munich player, who was the only one left in the starting line-up alongside Robert Andrich. Against the massive Hungarian defensive bar, combination play and passing sharpness would have been required, but there was a lack.
According to Nagelsmann, the so-called “shadow squad” should, just like the starting eleven, “show how important it is to them that we are the German national team.” There was no lack of commitment and willingness, but there was a lack of concentration and, in some cases, quality. After Julian Brandt lost the ball, Berlin’s Andras Schäfer had the lead, but goalkeeper Nübel was there (24′).
Brandt’s goal doesn’t count
Nagelsmann complained. The 20 minutes of warm-up time that he had allowed his newly formed team had passed, and things didn’t get any smoother. The offensive couldn’t get past the beginnings and, above all, couldn’t get behind the defensive line. The German game lacked depth, and a free kick from Benjamin Henrichs (30′) didn’t help either.
After an unpunished foul on Serge Gnabry and Kimmich’s carelessness, Nübel had to save again against Zsolt Nagy (39′). “It stalls in the last third,” complained ZDF expert Per Mertesacker, “and we get counterattacks that are dangerous.”
Robin Gosens for Kimmich at the restart was a previously agreed change. The Italian legionnaire had the best chance so far after a lay-off by Gnabry (50th). A goal from Brandt did not count due to an offside position (60′).
Nagelsmann had seen enough and brought in “Wusiala” and Havertz. After Musiala’s cross, Havertz hit the ball, a little later Nübel was there after an Andrich mistake against Barnabas Varga (67th). The game became more open. Hungary released its shackles and the DFB team pushed forward. After a Wirtz corner, Nico Schlotterbeck’s header was deflected and Nmecha scored with a shot. But then the ball came to Koch’s hand in stoppage time and Szoboszlai casually finished from the spot to equalize.
