England VS Hungary: a look back at the World Cup qualifying matches

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In September and October 2021, Hungary and England played each other for World Cup qualification. England won 4-0 on Matchday 4 and Matchday 8 ended in a 1-1 draw. In their group, England came out on top and won their ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The two teams will play each other twice more in the Nations League, on 4 and 14 June 2022. If you are a football fan, a fan or a bettor, we suggest that you take a look at the Hungary-England matches that have already taken place. Indeed, the analysis of past matches is a good way to predict what can happen in the next matches. These analyses, combined with the statistics, make it possible to make the best bets, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of the kwiff welcome overview to bet on these future matches!

Day 4: A hostile match on the pitch and in the stands

The game opened with a bang, thanks to Rice getting the ball high off Orban and Jack Grealish playing in the Mason Mount overlap after drawing two red shirts on him. Sterling scored the first goal and Kane the second. The first half was pretty standard, in a fairly slow tempo. But after the half-time break, everything changed, England went wild: the game was sharper and sharper, the intentions were more pronounced. The team should have led earlier, they had the means to do so. Harry Kane used his body to manoeuvre on Kyle Walker’s pass, pulling away from centre-back Willi Orban to shoot too close to Peter Gulacsi. The second goal followed an interception by Kalvin Phillips and was created by Sterling, whose cross deflected for Kane to bury a diving header. Kane should have scored again, but Gulacsi pushed him away from a Grealish pass and that’s when he was targeted by a firework from the stands. Meanwhile Shaw was rained down with plastic cups as he tried to take a corner and as the ball passed from Maguire’s head to Gulacsi, the firework burned across the pitch. Grealish released Kane again and his shot hit the keeper again. Then, after Jordan Pickford had made his only save from substitute Daniel Salloi, Rice’s low shot was pushed into the net by Gulacsi. 

Between the cup-throwing, the firework and the fact that Raheem Sterling and Luke Shaw were the targets of racist chants and monkey faces, it was a very hostile game for England. But it was probably this hostility that drove the team to come together and perform in the second half. The post-match discussions were more about that than the game, which is a shame.

Second game: less animated but still spectacular

While there were a few arrests in the stands during this game at Wembley, the atmosphere was not comparable to the previous game. The stands were hectic but despite the distractions, England’s players remained focused on the pitch, with Kane missing a shot from a Shaw cross, Phil Foden impressing in a deeper midfield role, and Grealish hitting the target himself. But that promising start was quickly undone when Shaw was manhandled by Loic Nego as the Hungarian came out of the box, giving the visitors the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot – and Sallai sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way. England had a good chance of winning a penalty as they looked for an instant response in the green haze of a Hungarian fan’s rocket, but referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez let play continue when Kane was caught from behind by Attila Szalai. The home side equalised eight minutes before the break, however, Stones poaching at the back post to convert a stinging free-kick from Foden for his first England goal. England could have taken the lead, particularly through Grealish, but he was twice denied after breaking into the box, and Sterling, whose header hit the post on the stroke of half-time.

To sum up, the games between Hungary and England were, as usual, action-packed. The English and Hungarian fans are fervent and committed and the stadium can quickly become erupting. For the Nations League matches, you can expect the same game and the same atmosphere.