Northern Ireland v Hungary (29/03/2022)

SCOUTING REPORT LOWDOWN Placed in Group F with France, Germany and Portugal at the delayed UEFA Euro 2020, Hungary were unlucky not to progress out of the so-called ‘Group of Death’. Leading 2-1 against Germany in Munich with just six minutes remaining of their final group game on 23 June 2021, Marco Rossi’s team were on course to reach the knockout phase of a major tournament for just the second time since 1966. A late equaliser from Germany substitute Leon Goretzka broke Hungarian hearts though and the Mag yars exited the competition having lost 3-0 to Portugal in their tournament opener and drawn 1-1 with France. Hungary missed out on qualification for this winter’s FIFA World Cup, finishing fourth in UEFA Qualifying Group I. They ended the campaign just three points behind group runners-up Poland, who they beat 2-1 in Warsaw in their final qualifying match. TACTICS Soon after his appointment as manager in 2018, Italian manager Marco Rossi outlined his playing philosophy for the Hungarian national team. “I’m not a big fan of us biding our time, I want us to be aggressive,” he said. While Hungary look to play a possession-based game overall , Rossi’s willingness for his side to transition quickly into attack means they will play more directly if the opportunity presents itself. SC Freiburg forward Roland Sallai is a willing runner in behind opposition defences, as he demonstrated when he sprinted on to a wonderful pass from Attila Fiola – which was played from deep within Hungary’s half – to score in the 3-3 draw with Poland in March 2021.

Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Hungary ahead of this evening’s international challenge match at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

Hungary typically line up in a 3-5-2 formation, which appears more like a 5-3-2 when defending and shapes up similar to a 3-4-3 when on the attack. With goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi comfortable with the ball at his feet , the Mag yars look to play out from the back, with one of their centre-backs often carrying the ball forward to pass or hit a long ball . As you would expect from a team playing in a 5-3-2 formation, Hungary’s wing-backs are tasked with getting forward to support attacks wherever possible. The use of their wing-backs in their forward moves means many of their goalscoring opportunities are fashioned from crosses. STRENGTHS When quizzed on his approach after his appointment in 2018, Rossi said: “We want to force the opponents to make mistakes in their own half while building our attack from the back, taking calculated risks. We aim to be brave, run a lot and press the opposition.” Hungary demonstrated their ability to press their opponents at UEFA Euro 2020, winning the eighth- most tackles of any team at the tournament . They came close to making it to the knockout phases despite having the lowest possession rate (34.7%) of any team in the tournament , proving their counter-attacking merits. Dominik Szoboszlai, who missed UEFA Euro 2020 through injury, is Hungary’s main creator. He is often given a free role in midfield to help link the team’s attacking moves. Captain Ádám Szalai is excellent at holding up the ball and bringing willing runners, such as the aforementioned Roland Sallai, into the game. He also has a decent international scoring record with 25 strikes in 78 appearances for Hungary to date.

IRISHFA.COM

21