Musiala Leads Germany to Victory Over Hungary, Securing Last 16 Spot

Jamal Musiala continued his scoring streak as Germany maintained their perfect start to Euro 2024, defeating Hungary to secure a place in the knockout stages.

The Bayern Munich forward was impressive throughout the match, scoring midway through the first half. He narrowly missed another goal shortly after, and received a standing ovation when substituted late in the second half.

Hungary contested the legality of Musiala’s opener, arguing that Ilkay Gundogan fouled defender Willi Orban before setting up Musiala, who scored into the roof of the net. A VAR check upheld the goal, allowing Musiala to celebrate with teammates in front of the Hungarian supporters.

Hungary nearly equalized just before halftime, but Roland Sallai’s rebound header was ruled offside.

Germany doubled their lead in the second half when former Manchester City player Gundogan was left unmarked and scored past goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Following a dominant 5-1 victory over Scotland, Germany faced a tougher challenge against Hungary, who created threats and defended resiliently.

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai showcased his set-piece prowess, forcing a save from Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with a curling effort. Szoboszlai had another chance in the first half, but his shot was blocked by Jonathan Tah.

Germany’s performance showed moments of creativity and control, securing six points from their first two games. They are guaranteed a spot in the last 16 and will finish as Group A winners if they avoid defeat against Switzerland in Frankfurt on Sunday (20:00 BST).

For Hungary, the loss is significant following their opening defeat by Switzerland. They must beat Scotland in their next match to have any chance of advancing.

“I’ve never complained in my career as a coach. I’ve never looked for excuses but what the referee did tonight – I mean, come on,” said Hungary boss Marco Rossi. “It’s something that I think even the Germans have seen – the referee had double standards. The VAR at this level didn’t say anything. Germany would have won anyways because they were better than us but the referee was the worst on the pitch.”