Hungary 1-0 England: Szoboszlai penalty earns historic win

Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty was enough for Hungary to beat England for the first time in more than 60 years as they began UEFA Nations League Group A3 in style.

Match in brief: Hungary claim historic win

Chances were at a premium in the first half, with Harry Kane sending one shot wide, Jordan Pickford making a couple of smart saves and Ádám Szalai's audacious effort from halfway going just past the post.

James brings down Zsolt Nagy to concede the crucial penaltyAFP via Getty Images

Hungary started the second half well and were rewarded when substitute Reece James was adjudged to have fouled Zsolt Nagy. Szoboszlai fired home from the spot.

England threw men forward but never really tested Peter Gulácsi and the game should have been sealed late on only for András Schäfer to fire over an empty goal after Pickford denied László Kleinheisler.

Andy Clark, match reporter

A richly deserved victory for Hungary against more illustrious opponents. Marco Rossi's men grew into the game, harried England incessantly, used the ball intelligently, and took their chance. Rossi talked pre-match of Hungary having earned the right to be in League A, and they've certainly proven that tonight. There's much to ponder for Gareth Southgate. His side started brightly, but lacked cutting edge. Better will be required from England in Munich against Germany on Tuesday.

Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty finds the netAFP via Getty Images

Reaction

Dominik Szoboszlai, Hungary goalscorer: "Again we've shown that we're a team who, if we give our all, no matter who our opponents are, anything can happen... even three points against England."

Zsolt Nagy, Hungary midfielder: "Not just individually but as a team, we performed in a manner which makes our victory deserved. Ádám Szalai fired us up before the match in the dressing room. He talked about heart, there being no such thing as a lost ball, and that if we fought until the end, victory could be ours."

Gareth Southgate, England manager: "We didn't do enough to win the game; a draw would have been the fair outcome. We didn't create too many clear cut chances. The heat was a factor and took a lot out of the players, and we tried to refresh the team earlier than normal. The balance of finding out about new things and the consistency of the regular team, I have to look at whether I got that right."

Conor Coady, England defender: "We need to look at this performance and learn from it very quickly. I thought we started off quite well. We need to tidy up and bounce back. We need to look at how we performed and how we move forward because these are big games for us."

Key stats

Harry Kane and England have struggled on their travelsGetty Images

• The Three Lions have failed to score in four of their last five Nations League matches outside of England.
• Hungary have lost only one of their last ten Nations League games (W6 D3).
• Hungary have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine Nations League matches.
• Excluding penalty shoot-outs, this was England's first defeat in 23 internationals.
• Hungary's last victory over England came in the FIFA World Cup in Chile on 31 May 1962.

Line-ups

Hungary: Gulácsi; Lang, Orbán, Attila Szalai; Négo, Ádám Nagy (Styles 82), Schäfer, Zsolt Nagy (Vécsei 87); Sallai (Kleinheisler 71), Szoboszlai (Fiola 82); Ádám Szalai (Ádám 87)

England: Pickford; Walker (Stones 62), Coady (Phillips 79), Maguire; Alexander-Arnold (James 62), Bellingham, Rice, Justin (Saka 46); Bowen, Kane, Mount (Grealish 62)

What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?

UEFA via Getty Images

The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023 with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.

The teams finishing fourth in the groups in Leagues A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.