Razeen Gutta
After a surprise 1-0 win over England in the opening round of Nations League games, Hungary went top of group A3 as Germany and Italy drew 1-1.
The game in Budapest was due to be played behind closed doors due to a ban on Hungary for poor fan behaviour at Euro 2020.
Uefa rules state, however, that under 14s are allowed to attend any closed games, resulting in over 30,000 youthful spectators present as England play in town.
The children made news from the onset, with booes echoing around the Puskas Arena when the England players took a knee in their stand against racism.
Visiting manager Gareth Southgate was unimpressed by the behaviour, stating that it comes from “inherited thinking” and calling for the education of young people on the matter.
The night took an even bigger dip for the three lions when Chelsea’s Reece James awarded the hosts a penalty just after the hour mark.
Leipzig starlet Dominik Szoboszlai finished from the spot with Hungary holding on for a famous win over the Euro 2020 finalists.
A few moments later in Bologna, the rivalry between Italy and Germany took centre stage for the first time in over five years.
The hosts were fresh off the disappointment of their Finalissima defeat against Argentina and got the breakthrough 71 minutes in after a quiet first half.
It was Lorenzo Pellegrini who broke the deadlock for Italy before Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich levelled proceedings minutes later.
The final quarter of an hour saw both goalkeepers tested, however the spoils were shared, leaving England bottom of the group with Italy and Germany two points behind Hungary.
England will next host Italy while Germany travel to Hungary in the second round of fixtures next week.
Image source: @DFB_Team
