Euro 2020: Hungary ready to surprise Germany after France draw – Rossi
Hungary coach Marco Rossi was not sure his team would achieve much against world champions France in their Euro 2020 group F match on Saturday but after they came away with a 1-1 draw he wants them to spring a surprise against Germany as well.
After a heartbreaking late meltdown in Hungary’s first game on Tuesday which they lost 3-0 to defending champions Portugal, a team Rossi thought would be easier to face than France, the coach said he was happy for them to be the protagonists now.
“This is incredible, it is exceptional,” a joyful Rossi told a news conference, stressing that besides the result against France the effort was laudable as well. “We have to be happy about the performance. It should make our guys proud.”
Attila Fiola put the hosts ahead just before halftime but Antoine Griezmann equalised in the 66th minute to move France on to four points after two games and on track for the last 16.
Hungary’s unexpected point kept alive their slim hopes and they must now beat another heavyweight, Germany, on Wednesday to have a chance of advancing to the knockout stage.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground. I’m not arrogant and saying we’ll win in Munich, but we will do our best to make it a match,” said Rossi, who took a swipe at critics who said he should have called up different players for the finals.
Hungary’s Puskas Arena, the only venue to allow capacity crowds at Euro 2020, was packed with 65 000 fans screaming out in joy at their team’s performance and Rossi said the supporters deserved the result against France.
“A crowd, fans like we have at the stadium today, or against Portugal, or even five years ago during Euro 2016 – we have unique fans so that’s why we work to give them satisfaction,” he added, before turning to the future for the national team.
“We are in a growth process,” Rossi said.
Several of Hungary’s best players are just hitting their 20s, including injured midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, the team’s most promising young player.
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Midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler, chosen as Uefa’s Man of the Match, said he expected the team to gain strength from the “incredible experience” going forward.
“We levelled up with the French for the entire match,” Kleinheisler said. “I trust this will empower us for the Germany match and I hope we can achieve a good result.”