Hungary vs France: Minnow hosts face unenviable task ahead
Hungary will face another tough examination when France arrive in Budapest for matchday two. The minnows come into this match having lost 3-0 to Portugal in their Euro 2020 opener, and they will be in for another long afternoon against the reigning World Cup champions. Although Hungary tried to defend for as long as possible, eventually they were broken down as Portugal scored three quick goals without reply, and given the strength of France’s side, Les Bleus should have no problems doing the same to them.
In short, Hungary will again be on the back foot, defending and trying to keep the score-line as respectable as possible. Although they’d managed an 11-match unbeaten streak prior to their meeting with Portugal, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues found a break-through. The three qualifying spots are set to be a battle between France, Portugal, and Germany. Hungary, as harsh as it may seem, are just in Group H to make up the numbers.
That being said, they may be hoping to try to spring a surprise against Germany on matchday three, but first up will be the task of containing France. Didier Deschamps’s men earned a 1-0 win over Germany in their opener in a game that fans had expected more goals, but didn’t get any. The only goal of the match was due to an embarrassing own goal from veteran defender Mats Hummels, albeit France could’ve had more goals had Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe’s efforts not been cancelled due to being adjudged as offside.
After losing the Euro 2016 final on home soil, France are looking to get their hands on the coveted prize this time around. And France will be certainly looking forward to the highly-anticipated showdown against Portugal, which comes on matchday three. A win here will put them in good stead and guarantee they’re on to the round of 16, regardless of what happens in their final group stage clash against the Selecao.
There are also some interesting records France could set here with an expected win over Hungary. For starters, they haven’t lost to them since 1976, with five consecutive wins since then. This will be the first meeting between the two sides since a 2005 friendly. Les Bleus are also on a five game winning streak across all comps – all without conceding a goal. If they, as anticipated, win on Saturday, they’ll make it six on the trot for the first time in five years, and more significant, pick up six clean sheets for the first time since 2007.
Curiously, France, although they do have an excellent record against the Hungarians, they have struggled when playing that team on home turf. In fact, they’ve won just once when playing in Hungary, while losing a shocking six times. So, it’s safe to say that Hungary will be desperately hoping that will give them some glimmer of hope – as they’ll need all the boosts they can get.
Finally, France will have pretty much a full-strength squad, with Benjamin Pavard seemingly not suffering any terrible aftereffects after literally being knocked out by Atalanta’s Robin Gosens during the match with Germany. In addition, they’ve been given a huge additional boost with the return of Kingsley Coman to the team after Pavard’s Bayern teammate missed the first game due to his partner giving birth to their child. In short, this upcoming game should be a pretty routine affair for Deschamps’s side as they look forward to a very fascinating rematch with Portugal on matchday three that could decide who heads into the round of 16 as group winners.
