Dominik Szoboszlai converted a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time, denying Germany a victory at the conclusion of the Nations League group stage and underscoring Hungary’s reputation as a challenging venue in world soccer.
Germany had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals and seemed on track for a win, thanks to Felix Nmecha’s goal. However, as the game approached its conclusion, a twist unfolded when Mihaly Kata’s shot struck the arm of Robin Koch, the German defender, who was attempting to evade the shot.
Following a video review, Szoboszlai confidently approached the spot, executing a delicate chip over goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, which earned Hungary a 1-1 draw. This outcome secures Hungary’s place as third in Group A3, which consists of four teams.
This draw maintains Hungary’s impressive home unbeaten streak, now extending to 13 matches over more than two years, with their last defeat occurring against Italy in the previous Nations League edition back in June 2022.
Germany’s revamped squad struggled to create significant scoring opportunities until Nmecha managed to find the net with a rebound off a corner in the 72nd minute. Meanwhile, Nübel remained alert, fending off several dangerous counterattacks from the Hungarian side.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann utilized this match to test his squad, granting first international starts to both Nmecha and forward Chris Führich, and welcoming Julian Brandt back to the national team after a year’s hiatus. However, one notable absence was Manchester City’s goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who was included in the Germany squad for the first time this month.
Prior to Tuesday’s matches, the lineup for the Nations League quarterfinals was already set, with Portugal, France, Germany, and Spain emerging as group winners. Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Denmark also qualified as runners-up. The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on Friday at UEFA’s headquarters in Switzerland, with the matches scheduled for March.
In another match, the Netherlands concluded a tumultuous year with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. This year saw Ronald Koeman’s squad reach the semifinals of a major tournament for the first time in 14 years, but their aspirations for a European Championship final since 1988 were dashed by Ollie Watkins’ stoppage-time goal, which propelled England forward.
In Zenica on Tuesday, Brian Brobbey marked his first goal for the Netherlands with a header from a corner kick, but Ermedin Demirovic leveled the score for Bosnia-Herzegovina, also netting a header in the second half.
Viktor Gyökeres, a hot transfer target in European soccer, added to his impressive tally as Sweden dismantled Azerbaijan 6-0. Gyökeres scored four times, including a goal just moments after Azerbaijan’s kickoff following another Swedish goal. He concluded the group stage as the Nations League top scorer, overtaking Norway’s Erling Haaland with nine goals from six matches.
His teammate, Dejan Kulusevski, chipped in with two goals, marking his return to scoring for the national team after over a year.
In other results, Wales earned promotion to the top tier of the Nations League after a convincing 4-1 win against Iceland, aided by a surprising 3-1 loss for Turkey against Montenegro, which occurred amidst challenging weather conditions.
The Czech Republic also celebrated promotion to the top tier following a 2-1 victory over Georgia, recalling a rematch from the Euro 2024 group stage.