In their last Nations League group stage match, Hungary salvaged a 1-1 draw against Germany thanks to a display of composure by Dominik Szoboszlai. In the 100th minute, the captain of Liverpool salvaged a point in dramatic fashion by converting a cheeky penalty kick from Panenka.
Julian Nagelsmann made numerous lineup changes, keeping just Joshua Kimmich and Robert Andrich from Germany’s 7-0 thumping of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as they were already guaranteed a place in the knockout stages. The first half was mainly uneventful as the experimental XI struggled to find rhythm in Budapest.
Zsolt Nagy forced Alexander Nubel to make a fine stop at the opposite end for Hungary, while Serge Gnabry had Germany’s best chances but was unable to convert.
Drama in the Second Half
Julian Brandt slammed the ball into the net, giving Germany the impression that they had broken the tie, but his attempt was disallowed for offside. Nagelsmann then sent on Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, and Jamal Musiala from his bench to add pace and inventiveness to the attack.
Havertz nearly had an instant impact as he hit the post with a low drive. However, Nubel skillfully combined with Roland Sallai to tip Barnabas Varga’s effort wide, almost doubling Hungary’s lead.
In the 76th minute, Felix Nmecha scored his first goal for his country after taking advantage of a headed assist from Nico Schlotterbeck. It appeared to be sufficient to guarantee Germany’s victory.
Szoboszlai’s Magic at the Last Minute
After a VAR review, Robin Koch was given a penalty for a handball inside the area as Hungary launched their final assault in stoppage time. With the game’s final kick, Szoboszlai took the field and coolly chipped a Panenka past Nubel, sending the home fans into raptures.
