It is a moment of ecstasy for the fans of Die Mannschaft as the German national team confirmed their place in the round of 16 of the UEFA Euro Cup 2024 with a victory over Hungary. The Germans eased to a 2-0 win in Stuttgart thanks to goals from Jamal Musiala and captain, Ilkay Gundogan. “We were determined to win today and confirm our performance against Scotland. We were dominant and deserved to win today.”, were the words of an in-form Manuel Neuer after the match.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side has ensured to live up to every ounce of expectations put on them. Being the hosts, Germany is expected to lift the crown in July, and even though their outing against Hungary was far from their best level, the players managed to finish off the job. Next up for them is a meeting with Switzerland, which might see Nagelsmann distribute the minutes within his squad.
The European dream is almost over for Hungary
Many experts touted Hungary as one of the dark horses for the European championship. With stars like Dominik Szoboszlai and Peter Gulacsi, the national team will be very disappointed and discontent with their displays in the opening two games. Well aware of the fact that they needed a win against Germany, the Hungarians never looked to be in the urgency to find the back of the net.
Their points tally still stands at none with two matches played with a negative goal difference of four. Qualification looks a distant prospect for Marco Rossi’s side. The country’s last group-stage game against Scotland might still hold significance, depending on results elsewhere. Nonetheless, the 2024 UEFA Euros will provide the Hungarian federation with a real eye-opener about the state of soccer within the national team.
Jamal Musiala exhibits another special performance
There was a fair share of doubts leading into the Euros about accommodating two 21-year-olds, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala together in the playing eleven. Julian Nagelsmann, though, has found the method to field his two prodigies in perfect sync with each other. The Bayern Munich prospect has been the pick of the lot for the Germans so far, with two goals in two games.
Musiala has been able to play his natural game consisting of tight dribbling and flair in the Euros so far. The whole soccer world has been a witness to his unmatched talent within a week of the beginning of the tournament. His close-range finish in the 22ⁿᵈ minute opened up the contest, which ultimately proved to be a comfortable outing for the German national team.
