Match report: England 1-1 Hungary
It was a night when violence erupted in the Wembley stands and England felt a rare form of tension run through a disjointed performance. David Hytner reports ...
Gareth Southgate speaks ...
“It was a disappointing performance,” says England’s manager in an interview with ITV. “Full credit to Hungary, they caused us a tactical problem and we were not fluid. We did not play at the level we need to play, simple as that. It’s difficult to pin-point and we will look at the balance of the team. We made simple mistakes with the ball.
“We have to go away and reflect and should not judge things on one game and that experiment. From the start, we were not sharp with our play, gave the ball away, were over-running things and for the first time in a long time we have to hold our hands up today. I don’t think we should look at individuals, collectively we did not play at the level we need to.”
Declan Rice speaks ...
Asked if it was a poor performance by England: “You can say it is poor because we drew the game but we dominated,” he tells ITV. “It was a silly penalty to give away but we got back into the game and could not get that killer touch. I thought the way their player went to ground was pathetic. You have to give credit to the opposition sometimes, Hungary were much better than when we played them away. I still think we did enough to win the game.”
On playing in a three with Mason Mount and Phil Foden: “That is the first time we have played together as a three, we know what the manager asks of us and we have to put that into practice on the pitch.”
Group I results
- Albania 0-1 Poland
- England 1-1 Hungary
- San Marino 0-3 Andorra
- View the Qatar 2022 qualifying tables
Despite tonight’s setback England remain top of Group I, three points ahead of Poland in second place. They need four points from their final two games against Albania and San Marino to guarantee qualification for next year’s World Cup.
Full-time England 1-1 Hungary
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at Wembley, where in a game marred by minor crowd trouble in the away end during the first half, toothless England have been held by Hungary. The hosts had to come from behind to get a point after Roland Sallai’s first half penalty was cancelled out by John Stones. Despite dominating in the second half, England couldn’t get find a winner.
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90+3 min: At an England corner, Watkins slips and doesn’t get anywhere enough power behind his effort after losing his footing. Gulacsic saves.
90+1 min: Hungary make a late, late double substitution, while Tammy Abraham limps off to be replaced by Ollie Watkins.
90 min: Into four minutes of added time we go with England seeking a winner.
89 min: Saka plays the ball wide to Foden, whose cross to the far post is punched clear by Gulacsi. It’s returned in the general direction of the Hungary goal by Shaw but despite getting his head to the ball Abraham can’t steer his effort on target. Wide.
87 min: England pour forward in numbers but Luke Shaw’s delivery into the England penalty area from the left is blocked by Akos Kecskes.
86 min: Abraham stretches every sinew to get on the end of a Foden delivery and steer it goalwards with his head. It’s too close to Gulacsi in Hungary’s goal.
84 min: A mistake by Bukayo Saka allows Filip Holender, on as a Hungarian sub earlier, to cut inside from the left. With all the time in the world to pick his spot and shoot, he fires high and wide of Pickford’s goal.
83 min: Hungary double-substitution: Vecsei and Hahn on for Schafer and the goalscorer Sallai.
81 min: A downward header from John Stones bounces off the ground, upwards and is on target but is saved comfortably by Gulasci. The Manchsater City defender is injured and there’s a break in play as he receives treatment.
78 min: While a draw here wouldn’t be a disaster for England by any stretch of the imagination, it is worth noting that they have only scored one goal tonight against very limited opposition despite having their best five attackers - Foden, Mount, Sterling, Kane and Grealish - on the pitch. Hungary have played exceptionally well, it must be said.
England double-substitution: Jordan Henderson and Tammy Abraham on for Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.
73 min: Harry Kane is played in behind two defenders by Saka but blasts the ball high and wide from the corner of the six-yard box. He looked offside but I don’t think the flag went up.
71 min: Exciting news: England have gone from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3. After 30 years of scrutinising football I’m one of those people who doesn’t really get why that’s a big deal but I’m assured it is.
Police statement: “One arrest has been made for a racially aggravated public order offence reagrding a comment made to a steward.”
67 min: Dominik Szorboszlai runs into the outstretched arm of Luke Shaw, clotheslining himself in the process and going to ground looking aggrieved. Shaw, booked for the challenge in which he gavce away the first half penalty, doesn’t get a second yellow and rightfully so.
64 min: As England performances go, this is not a particularly good one but they continue to dominate their Hungarian opposition and one suspects the winning goal(s) will come eventually.
62 min: A terrific delivery from Foden. Stones leaps highest at the far post but doesn’t connect as well as he would have liked with his downward header. With the side of his face, he sends the ball just wide of the upright. England substitution: Bukayo Saka on, Jack Grealish off.
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60 min: Foden plays the ball wide to Sterling on the right flank again but his attempted cross is blocked. Corner for England.
59 min: The flag goes up, Harry Kane penalised for offside as he attempted to run on to a ball down the inside right from deep.
58 min: Zsolt Nagy relieves Sterling of possession on the right flank after the ball had been played wide to the winger by the outstanding Phil Foden.
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56 min: Foden and Sterling combine down the right for England but Kesckes and his goalkeeper Gulasci clear between them after a minor mix-up.
52 min: A Schon cross is put out for a corner by Mings as Hungary continue to pose England problems around the edge of their penalty area.
51 min: Schon and Zsolt Nagy combine down the left for Hungary after Kyle Walker fails to clear properly for England. Within seconds, the hosts have a free-kick on the far side of the pitch.
49 min: Kyle Walker picks out Jack Grealish on the left wing. He appears to be fouled by Nagy on the left edge of the penalty area but England get a corner rather than a free-kick. Nothing comes of it.
47 min: Sterling plays the ball down the right flank for Harry Kane to chase. It’s defelcted out for an England corner. Foden’s delivery is aimed towards the head of Harry Kane but fisted away by Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
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Second half: England 1-1 Hungary
46 min: No changes in personnel on either side as Phil Foden prods the ball, and with it the game back into action.
Half-time: England 1-1 Hungary
Peep! It hasn’t been one of England’s better performances but they’re doing just fine. Having fallen behind to a Roland Salai penalty scored on the back of Luke Shaw’s high boot on Loic Nego, they equalised through a John Stones stab from close range after winning a free-kick on the right flank. It’s been a reasonably entertaining first half and despite their bright start, Hungary look on the ropes already.
45+1 min: Grealish and Shaw combine down the left to stand the ball up for Sterling at the far post. Under pressure from Zsolt Nagy the ball hits one of them, forcing Gulasci into a good save from close range. Sterling is first to the rebound but fires wide of the upright.
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45 min: Kyle Walker tries to pick out Harry Kane with another ball from deep but it’s headed clear.
44 min: Grealish gets on the end of a long diagonal to the left corner and cuts inside. Nego handballs accidentally but sends the ball out for an England corner. Hungary clear.
42 min: Free-kick for England, wide on the right, for a foul by Andreas Schafer. The ball sails into the hands of Gulasci.
41 min: Desperate defending from assorted Hungary playerss as Jack Grealish skips through the left hand side of their penalty area and tries to carve open half a yard to get a shot off.
39 min: I say “flicked on by Declan Rice” but I’m not sure how much he knew about it - the ball seemed to bounce off his shoulder or back. It doesn’t matter, they all count and if Stones hadn’t prodded home, Raheem Sterling was behind him in the queue to do the honours.
GOAL! England 1-1 Hungary (Stones 37)
England equalise! A free-kick on the right. Foden’s delivery is flicked on by Declan Rice and John Stones sticks out a left foot to volley past Gulacsi from close range.
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34 min: England win another free-kick, just to the left side of the Hungary penalty area following a foul on Mason Mount. The Chelsea midfielder tries to pick out Kane at the far post and his whipped delivery is good but Loic Nego heads out for a corner. Hungary clear ... eventually, following a dither from their goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
30 min: A goal behind in a game against a very well organised team they probably expected to boss, England press on in search of an equaliser. A poor first touch from Jack Grealish prompts Zsolt Nagy to lunge in and try to win possession. Free-kick for England, wide on the right. Phil Foden’s delivery is poor and Hungary clear.
27 min: Get up, Harry! Getting on the end of a long ball into the left side of the Hungary penalty area from Luke Shaw, England’s captain flings himself to the ground clutching his shin as a defender shepherds him wide. A laughable penalty appeal.
25 min: That looked a fair and square penalty. Advancing to the left side of hgis own penalty area, Luke Shaw looked to hook the high bouncing ball clear. Hungary’s Loic Nego stuck his head in to try to take it off the England defender’s foot and referee Alejandro Hernandez blew his whistle and pointed to the spot.
GOAL! England 0-1 Hungary (Sallai 24pen)
Hungary lead at Wembley! Roland Sallai sends Jordan Pickford the wrong way and slots the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
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PENALTY FOR HUNGARY!
Luke Shaw is penalised and booked for a high boot on the edge of the penalty area. A VAR check is ongoing.
21 min: Jack Grealish beats his man down the left again but on this occasion curls his cross into the gloves of the grateful Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulaci, who had a shocker in the corresponding fixture in Budapest.
19 min: Mings sticks out a leg to block from Zolt Nagy. This Hungary team are showing no signs that they’re here to just make up the numbers.
14 min: Hungary’s Roland Sallai gets on the end of a cross from the left but volleys high over the bar from close range.
12 min: “Brilliant work by numbers eight and 13 (Adam Nagy and Andreas Schaefer) in the Hungary midfield to block those passing lanes to Phil Foden and Mason Mount,” says Lee Dixon on ITV co-comms and who am I to disagree.
8 min: England are dominating possession, as you might expect. Yet to create a chance, mind. Oof! There’s one! Harry Kane slides in to get on the end of a wonderful Luke Shaw delivery across the edge of the six yard box, but Adam Nagy gets a toe to the ball to prod it out for a corner. Excellent defending and superb work down the left flank by Jack Grealish in the build-up.
6 min: Anyway, back to on-field matters, where Jack Grealish jinks his way down the left wing, beats his man and pulls a pass to Harry Kane in the penalty area. His first touch is poor, heavy enough to prod the ball wide. Not a great start from Harry.
4 min: ITV report crowd trouble in the Hungarian section of the ground, with commentary’s Sam Matterface saying baton-wielding police have waded in to maintain order as visiting fans try to make their way to seats that aren’t theirs that have a better view of the pitch. A cynic might argue the fans in question got the idea from watching the final of Euro 2020.
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3 min: A Hungarian attack down the left is repelled as Szobooszlai’s cross is blocked by Kyle Walker.
2 min: Phil Foden wins the ball on the halfway line and plays it short to Harry Kane, who loses it.
England v Hungary is go ...
1 min: Following a tribute to the late, recently deceased England World Cup-winners Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt, then a quick knee by England’s players, the match begins with Hungary’s Dominik Szoboszlai getting the ball rolling.
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Not long now: While a light show entertains the fans in the stadium, the teams assemble in the Wembley tunnel. The players of Hungary wear red shirts, socks and socks. No tracksuits tops for them!
The players of England will be wearing white shirts, navy shorts and white socks. Out on to the pitch they go, introduced by an over-zealous stadium announcer who seems to think he’s behind the decks spinning the steel wheels at Amnesia in Ibiza.
Elsewhere in Group I: Albania entertain Poland, while San Marino host Andorra. England can’t confirm their qualification for Qatar 2022 tonight, whatever the outcome of these games. They’ll have to wait until next month.
That England team: In unsurprising news, Gareth Southgate makes nine changes, with only Phil Foden and John Stones keeping their places from the team that beat Andorra at the weekend. Harry Kane takes the captain’s armband.
England v Hungary line-ups
England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Mings, Shaw, Foden, Rice, Mount, Sterling, Kane, Grealish.
Subs: Sancho, Tomori, Abraham, Ramsdale, Chilwell, Saka, Johnstone, Henderson, Coady, Watkins, Trippier, Ward-Prowse.
Hungary: Gulacsi, Lang, Kecskes, Szalai, Nego, Adam Nagy, Schafer, Zsolt Nagy, Sallai, Szoboszlai, Schon.
Subs: Varga, Szabo, Nikolic, Gazdag, Vecsei, Holender, Bogdan, Bolla, Salloi, Balogh.
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez (Spain)
Horses and Stable Doors Dept: beefed up security at Wembley
The Metropolitan Police are to increase their presence outside Wembley stadium on Tuesday night in the lead-up to the visit of Hungary. Following the racist abuse directed at England players last month in the World Cup qualifying fixture in Budapest and the shocking unrest at the Euro 2020 final, the Football Association is also putting in place robust procedures to deal with any trouble.
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Early team news: Having played a largely second string side in easy victory against Andorra on Saturday, Gareth Southgate is expected to bring out the Big Dogs at Wembley tonight in a state of affairs that will probably herald the return of Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Tyrone Mings, Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount.
For Hungary, Ferencvárosi TC right-back Endre Botka misses out through suspension and is likely to be replaced by Omonia central defender Adam Lang, after the withdrawal of his like-for-like replacement right-back Attila Fiola through injury.
Group I: England v Hungary
While England can’t book their spot at Qatar 2022 tonight, they can continue their serene progress through the group with a win over Hungary that will leave them one win from their final two games from qualification. Their 4-0 thrashing of Hungary in Budapest in early September bodes well for their chance tonight, as does the fact that they are on a 12-match winning streak when it comes to playing World Cup qualifiers on home soil.
Tonight they host opponents who lost against Albania last time out, leaving their hopes of scraping second place in this group and the play-off place that comes with it hanging by a thread. Kick-off at Wembley is at 7.45pm but stay tuned for team news and build-up.
