Gundogan dominated and Musiala scored his second goal of Euro 2024 as Germany advanced to the knockout stages without incident.

 

Germany, led by Julian Nagelsmann, defeated Hungary on Wednesday night knowing that a victory would advance them to the Euro 2024 knockout stages. This was accomplished in spite of a valiant effort from their opponents.

After some disorganized Hungarian defense, Ilkay Gundogan found Jamal Musiala in the box, and the Germans took the lead after 22 minutes with a composed finish.

Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper, was probably busier than he would have been expected because he had to react to deny Dominik Szoboszlai from a free-kick. In addition, late in the first half, Hungary appeared to have equalized, but Roland Sallai’s goal was disallowed by VAR.

Even though they put on a strong show in the first few minutes of the second half, Germany ended the match in the 67th minute when Gundogan completed a deft passing move to ensure the hosts’ advancement to the round of 16.

Hungary attempted to rally late in the game and Joshua Kimmich was forced to clear off the line, but they were unable to penetrate Nagelsmann’s defense.

 

GOAL rates Germany’s players from Stuttgart…

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Goalkeeper & Defence

Manuel Neuer (5/10):

Excellent early tackle to deny Szalai and needed to react to Szoboszlai’s free-kick. Almost let his hard work go to waste late on as he failed to claim a looping ball and needed to be rescued by Kimmich.

Joshua Kimmich (6/10):

More effective going forward than he was in defence. Barely wasted a pass in possession but was beaten more than once on his flank. Managed to clear off the line late on to prevent a grandstand finish.

Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

Booked in the first half but stood up well to Hungary’s press. Rarely beaten one-on-one.

Jonathan Tah (6/10):

Always willing to put his body on the line and did so repeatedly.

Maximilian Mittelstadt (7/10):

Got forward when he could and was diligent defensively. Assisted Gundogan’s second goal with a smart cutback.

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Midfield

Robert Andrich (6/10):

Broke up play repeatedly and was consistently impressive in reading the game.

Toni Kroos (7/10):

Still capable of running a game in midfield. His passing radar is frankly ridiculous; he never seems to give the ball away.

Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

Never gave up on a loose ball in the box and subsequently assisted Musiala. Floated between the lines, much to Hungary’s confusion and scored Germany’s second with a sweeping finish. Outstanding.

 

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Attack

Jamal Musiala (8/10):

Scored his second goal of the tournament with a cool close-range finish. Later found the side-netting with a sublime effort. Hungary never worked out how to stop him. A performance of the highest quality.

Kai Havertz (5/10):

Didn’t have much sight of goal but stretched Hungary. Always willing to run in behind but a frustrating afternoon in terms of chances. Subbed before the hour.

Florian Wirtz (6/10):

Some exceptional touches, and kept Hungary guessing by switching wings. Faded as the game went on, and was replaced by Leroy Sane in the second half.

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Subs & Manager

Niclas Fullkrug (5/10):

Replaced Havertz as Nagelsmann went for the kill. Barely had an opportunity to get a shot off, though.

Leroy Sane (6/10):

Replaced Wirtz. Forced one good save from Gulacsi.

Emre Can (6/10):

On for Andrich at 2-0 and made a vital headed clearance under his own crossbar to keep Germany’s clean sheet intact.

Chris Fuhrich (5/10):

Replaced Musiala. One wild shot but barely impacted the game beyond that.

Denis Undav (N/A)

On for Gundogan late on.

Julian Nagelsmann (7/10):

Germany may have made heavy weather of the first half but they have secured qualification for the last 16, sustained no injuries and kept a clean sheet – even if Hungary did give them a scare. Nagelsmann couldn’t have asked for any more.