If ever there was a game too far for England, it was this one in Hungary.  Tiredness, fatigue, call it what you will, but this really was a lethargic display.  It turned out to be a disappointing start to their Euro Nations Cup challenge, but to be absolutely honest, the Hungarians fully deserved their victory.

England took a while to settle, and it was Hungary who made the early inroads.  The first attempt at goal came when Roland Sallai put in a low shot.  It was saved by Jordan Pickford, but only gathered at the second attempt.  England hit back in the fourth minute with a break down the left ending with Harry Kane cutting back inside but shooting wide of the far post.  England’s long ball tactics in the early stages looked for the speed of the lively Jarrod Bowen, on debut.  He was the most lively England player throughout and the defenders had to work hard to block his moves.

England won a corner but even Trent Alexander-Arnold’s range finder was off, as his kick went out for a throw-in on the far side.  It was that sort of performance by England, with mistakes all round.  To be fair, the Hungarians pressed and harried and were often first to the ball, and first to the second balls too.  However, England then created two chances in two minutes when first, Kane’s nod down to Bowen saw the West Ham man have a shot blocked.  Then Alexander-Arnold found his range with a lovely centre which Bowen hit on the volley, but into the ground which made an easy save for the keeper, Peter After that little burst, Hungary broke dangerously down the right, and a terrific first-time cross almost led to a goal.  Sallai bundled the ball towards goal as Pickford half blocked the shot.  As it trickled towards the line, Conor Coady dashed back to hack the ball away to safety.  That was a near thing and it certainly was a bit of a wake-up call for England.

The match ebbed and flowed from end to end and after 15 minutes it was all pretty even.  A minute later though, there was another near miss from Hungary as Loic Nego puts in another dangerous cross which Sallai again tries to get on the end of.  This time though Alexander-Arnold’s challenge was enough to make him miscue his volley.  Bowen won another corner with his positive play, and this time Alexander-Arnold’s delivery was much better, but Coady headed over.  Kane and James Justin then combined well, but the keeper cut out the low cross comfortably.  In midfield for England Declan Rice was making some useful interceptions but the game seemed to be by-passing Jude Bellingham, as he struggled to feature.  Andras Schafer was then booked as Justin threatened to burst through but was cynically brought down.

After 25 minutes England were looking a little more settled than early on as the players adapted to their roles.  They still kept losing possession though, and from one lapse, a break down the left ended with Pickford having to tip Zsolt Nagy’s shot around the post.  The resultant corner was cleared.  On 32 minutes another passing error gave Adam Szalai possession on the half-way line.  He immediately tried an audacious lob which was only just wide of the goal with a back-pedalling Pickford groping.  A minute later it was action at the other end, and once again it was the lively Bowen who created danger.  His run into the box, and pull back from the bye-line, should have brought some reward but the other England forward players were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Both teams had looked susceptible to a long ball over the top, although for England Harry Maguire and Coady were looking secure.

As the half drew to a close, both sides seemed to settle for the 0-0 scoreline, as the pace relaxed a little.  After the interval Gareth Southgate brought on Bukayo Saka for the debutant Justin.  The knock Justin received in the first-half obviously necessitated the change, which was a shame as the youngster had done well.  The first chance of the second-half again resulted in another poor England pass.  This time Nagy was presented with a free shot, but he sent it wide of the far post.  Immediately, England had their best effort on goal so far.  Saka broke down the left and ended a mazy run with a low shot that the keeper only stopped by sticking his leg out.  For the next ten minutes though, the acute tiredness of some of the England players really started to show.  They found it difficult to gain possession and clear their lines.

Southgate looked to change things on the hour, bringing on Reece James, Jack Grealish and John Stones and taking off the ineffective Mason Mount, Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker.  Unfortunately for England, the first involvement from James resulted in a Hungarian penalty!  He won the ball but followed through with a clumsy challenge on Nagy.  It was soft, but the referee was on the spot.  Dominik Szoboszlai took the kick and gave Pickford no chance.  Again, to be honest, Hungary deserved their lead, as they had been the much more aggressive side, and much more up for the game.

Bowen was still trying his best though and he hit a volley at goal but straight at the keeper who saved easily.  Bellingham could, and should have done better when Grealish set him up with a shot, but it was tamely blocked as the keeper gathered the loose ball.  On 76 minutes though England so nearly found an equaliser.  James sent in a good free-kick and Coady’s glancing header flew just inches past the far post.  Coady was then taken off for Kalvin Phillips, as Southgate boosted his midfield.

On 81 minutes Hungary should have added a second goal as Pickford saved a shot only for the ball to fall at Schafer’s feet just a few yards from goal.  He blazed it over the bar and England were still in it, just.  In the last five minutes a raft of substitutes virtually stopped the game, and in my opinion, football is getting more like Rugby Union every day, with all the comings and goings.

The last chance fell to Kane, after good work by Grealish set him up for a shot, which just hit the side-netting.  And that was it.  The Hungarians were delighted to beat England for the first time in many years.  James however, will rue Southgate’s decision to bring him on, and he even added a booking to his credit with a later foul.  I thought Bowen played really well on debut though and all credit to him.

England were poor, but as I said before, Hungary deserved their win, and nothing should detract from their performance.  Meanwhile, England must sharpen up for the battles ahead in the next few days.
     

Source Notes