Maiden Szoboszlai goal in vain as Hungary slip up against Slovakia

Dominik Szoboszlai’s superb second-half free-kick was not enough to help Hungary secure any points from their Euro 2020 qualifier at home against Slovakia, Marco Rossi’s team eventually succumbing 2-1 in the Groupama Aréna on Monday night.

Slovakia had taken a 40th-minute lead through Robert Mak’s close-range finish but Hungary playmaker Szoboszlai hauled his team back on level terms with a fabulous curling free-kick, only for striking prodigy Robert Bozenik to seal a potentially vital victory for the visitors with a well-taken shot on the turn.

Rossi opted to change almost his whole starting lineup from the 2-1 friendly defeat in Montenegro last Thursday, Péter Gulácsi starting in goal behind a four-man defence of left-back Tamás Kádár, central defenders Willi Orban, Botond Baráth and right-back Gergő Lovrencsics. Ádám Nagy was deemed fit enough to take his place at the base of midfield alongside László Kleinheisler with the attacking trio of Roland Sallai, Dominik Szoboszlai and captain Balázs Dzsudzsák in front of them and Ádám Szalai ploughing his usual lone furrow upfront.

Initially, it was Slovakia who dominated possession but Hungary found a way to retain the ball and soon made inroads down both flanks, Sallai nearly wriggling free in the left channel and Dzsudzsák surging down the right before sliding in Kleinheisler for a sight of goal, only for the burly midfielder to shoot tamely, straight at Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

Visiting striker Robert Bozenik had the ball in the net for Slovakia near the end of the first ten inutes but that was correctly ruled out for offside before Hungary’s left-winger Sallai just failed to reach a deep, inswinging cross from the right by his captain. Szoboszlai’s low drive from Szalai was well-held by Dubravka and Sallai’s low, left-wing pass along Slovakia’s six-yard line evaded Szalai as Hungary really started to threaten at every opportunity.

At the other end, Gulácsi had less to do, but still had to be alert to dive to his left and smother Robert Mak’s crisp, low shot from twenty metres. Kleinheisler’s persistence in central midfield then forced a mistake which yielded the ball for Szalai to turn and test Dubravka’s reflexes again in the 24th minute, but the hosts were dealt a blow when Lovrencsics was forced off with a hip injury, the Ferencváros full-back replaced by Barnabás Bese.

Still, all the signs from general play were that Hungary were on the right track, but they were suddenly knocked off course five minutes before half-time. Szoboszlai failed to notice Marek Hamsik creeping up on the right-wing so when a crossfield pass was played from left to right, it left Kádár facing two attackers and Hamsik with time and space to send in a low cross to a suspiciously offside Bozenik. The linesman saw the situation otherwise though and although Baráth pressured the forward into a miskick, Mak was on hand behind them to bury the rebound low past Gulácsi from eight metres.