UEFA Nations League 2022-23, Hungary down England: Records broken
England started their UEFA Nations League 2022-23 journey with a defeat versus Hungary. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the match, converting a second-half penalty. England were the second best throughout the game and Hungary deserved the points. England will hope they raise the bar in their next game versus Germany in League A Group 3. Here's more.
Hungary beat sorry England
Szoboszlai scored the opener from the penalty spot after Reece James fouled Zsolt Nagy. West Ham's Jarrod Bowen worked hard on his debut for the visitors. Substitute Bukayo Saka, who replaced the injured James Justin, produced a rare England threat with a shot that Hungary keeper Peter Gulacsi saved with his legs. England had more possession and chances but never quite threatened.
Why does this story matter?
England came into this game after having qualified for the Qatar World Cup and prior to that reaching the final of the Euro 2020 Championships. However, this performance was below-par as they lacked energy and precision. On the contrary, Hungary looked fresh and stronger. Gareth Southgate will be disappointed with this result and England need to bounce back now.
Contrasting records for England and Hungary
As per Opta, five of Gareth Southgate's 11 defeats as England manager have come in the UEFA Nations League (W5 D3 L5). This is more than he's lost in any other competition in charge of the England side. Hungary have registered their first win over England since May 1962 at the FIFA World Cup. This victory ended their 15-match winless run against England.
