Will Hungary create the next sensation in the Nations League? After the success in England, it will now be a home game for the RB professionals in Leipzig against the DFB team – against their own teammates.
The outsider senses his chance. After the 4-0 triumph in England, Hungary travels to Leipzig as leaders of the German Nations League group.
For Peter Gulacsi, Willi Orban and Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig it will be a very special game this Friday (8.45 p.m. / ZDF) in the Red Bull Arena. “We play away and at home. We have nothing to lose, we will go there and enjoy it,” said forward Szoboszlai. The trio can even complete the group win with a win against RB teammates Timo Werner, David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs if Italy does not win against England at the same time.
However, Hungary coach Marco Rossi will be without the injured Roland Sallai and Zsolt Nagy, who shone in a sensational 4-0 win at Wolverhampton on 14 June and scored four of Hungary’s seven goals in Group B. For captain Adam Szalai it is a farewell game, the former Bundesliga professional at the age of 34 only wants to concentrate on his tasks at FC Basel in the future.
Attacking player Szoboszlai is the focus
However, the focus is on Szoboszlai, who converted the penalty in the 1-0 win against European Championship finalists England in the first leg on June 4 in Budapest. DFB record national player Lothar Matthäus, who lived in Hungary for a long time, reported: “There they already compare him to Ferenc Puskas.”
For Szoboszlai, however, the formative figure in his life so far is not Hungary’s football icon Puskas, but his father. One noise from Zsolt Szoboszlai in particular stuck in the junior’s ear. “When I was little, he always whistled. That stayed in my head. If 20 people whistle at the same time, I know exactly who my father is,” said the RB professional, who came to Leipzig in winter 2020 .
Also because Gulacsi had campaigned for him. Hungary’s and Leipzig’s defense chief Orban was also looking forward to the strong-shooting national team colleague, but the RB defender, who was born in Kaiserslautern as Vilmos Tamas Orbán, couldn’t express it perfectly, Szoboszlai later explained with a smile.
While Gulacsi and Orban are regarded as model professionals and are used by club and association coaches, Szoboszlai first had to assert himself in Leipzig. Under Julian Nagelsmann and Jesse Marsch he was often only the second choice, and as a former Salzburg student he was immediately trusted by new coach Marco Rose – and repaid it with the goal against Dortmund.
Rossi: “Germany the strongest team”
Now he is challenged against the Germans. The first leg on June 11 in the Puskas Arena ended 1-1. “I think Germany is the strongest team we could meet,” said Rossi, adding: “We will do everything we can to make their work as difficult as possible so that our fans can be proud of us again.” The DFB team could also have won in Hungary, but Timo Werner and David Raum failed several times at Gulacsi.
The national goalkeeper has already been voted footballer of the year twice in his home country. Despite the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the RB captain is committed to the rights of sexual minorities in his home country. In particular, he spoke out against a constitutional amendment of December 16, 2020, according to which homosexual couples are prohibited from adopting children.
“Everyone has the right to equal rights. So every child has the right to grow up in a happy family – no matter how many people it consists of, what skin color you have, who you love or what you believe in,” wrote Gulacsi back then.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
