Matchday 2 of Group F at UEFA EURO 2020 will meet Hungary and France for the first time in 16 years.
• While Hungary is contesting its second EURO in a row and second in 49 years, France has been to every tournament since 1992 and reached the quarter-finals or better in five of its last six appearances. This includes the final as the host team at UEFA EURO 2016.
Previous clashes
• This is the first time that Hungary and France have met since the French 2-1 friendly in Metz on 31 May 2005. Djibril Cissé and Florent Malouda scored home goals in the first half, while Zsombor Kerekes he cut distances in the final stretch.
• The teams have played eight previous duels in Budapest, the most recent a 1-3 win for France in a friendly in March 1990. Eric Cantona scored a double for the visitors, while Franck Sauzée made the other goal for the French. Attila Pintér made the Magyar goal that managed to put the tables momentarily.
• This was the first French victory in Budapest, a city in which it had suffered six defeats. Including 13-1 in June 1927 with a double hat-trick by József Takács that allows it to remain Hungary’s record win.
The title of France in 1984 in your country
• This meeting will be the fifth between the teams in the UEFA European Championship, with Hungary having won three of the four stakes and drawing the other. The Magyars won 1-3 in Paris and 2-1 in Budapest in the quarterfinals of the 1964 edition. France drew 1-1 in Budapest, the only time the Gauls avoided defeat, and then fell 0-2. in Paris in the 1972 qualifying round.
• The teams met twice in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup. France won 3-1 in Argentina ’78 and eight years later 3-0 in Mexico, with Dominique Rocheteau scoring the third goal in both games.
EURO data: Hungary
• It is the second final phase of a consecutive EURO for Hungary. Their participation in 2016 was the first since 1972 and the first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup. Only four teams competed in the first two final stages of the EURO that the Magyars reached (1964 and 1972).
• In 2016, the team coached by Bernd Storck finished first in Group F with five points, the same as an Iceland which it beat by its direct duel and with two points more than future champion Portugal. Austria was eliminated with one point. Hungary opened with a 2-0 win over Austria in Bordeaux. Ádám Szalai opened the scoring. Afterwards, the Magyars equalized against Iceland (1-1) and Portugal (3-3).
EURO 2016 in video: Hungary 3-3 Portugal
• Belgium were very strong in the round of 16 and Hungary fell 0-4 in the round of 16 in Toulouse, although the last three goals came in the final 12 minutes.
• Before matchday one, Hungary had won two of their eight EURO finals matches (two draws and four defeats).
• Hungary was fourth in their group at UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying with 12 points from their eight games. They lagged behind Croatia, Wales and Slovakia, with all of them being in the finals.
• Marco Rossi’s team qualified for the play-offs after finishing second in their 2018/19 UEFA Nations League group, with ten points and finishing two fewer than Finland and one more than Greece.
• The Magyars won 1-3 in Bulgaria in the play-off semi-finals and later beat Iceland (2-1) in the final in Budapest. Goals in the final leg of Loïc Négo (88 ‘) and Dominik Szoboszlai (90 + 2’) served to create an exciting 2-1 and secure their place in the final phase.
Hungary 2-1 Iceland
• At the end of 2020, Hungary accumulated six games without losing (four wins and two draws) since their home loss (2-3) to Russia on 6 September 2020 in the UEFA Nations League.
• Hungary reached the final in the 1938 and 1954 World Cups, losing to Italy (in France) and the Federal Republic of Germany (in Switzerland) respectively.
• Hungary’s first match at Puskás Aréna was in a friendly 1-2 loss to Uruguay on November 15, 2019. They also lost their next match, in a 2-3 against Russia on September 6 of 2020 corresponding to the UEFA Nations League. He did win on his third attempt, 2-1 against Iceland in the play-offs. His record in that stadium at the end of 2020 was two wins, one draw and two losses.
• Hungary’s record in Budapest at the beginning of 2021 was 229 wins, 88 draws and 83 losses.
EURO data: France
• A final loss to Portugal in 2016 denied France a chance to claim their third EURO title after their 1984 and 2000 triumphs.
• In 2016, Deschamps’ team finished first in their group, ahead of Switzerland, Albania and Romania, before defeating the Republic of Ireland 2-1 (their first win in the knockout stage of the European Championship since 2000 ) in the round of 16. Iceland (5-2) and Germany (2-0) were subsequently defeated, but Portugal deprived them of the title in Saint-Denis.
Great goals from France
• ‘Les bleus’ responded to that disappointment by winning their second World Cup in 2018, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final to add to their 20-year-old title.
• Having won a world title (1998) and a European title (2000) with France as a player, Deschamps can repeat the feat as a coach. Besides France, only the Federal Republic of Germany (Euro 1972, World Cup 1974) and Spain (Euro 2008 and 2012, World Cup 2010) have held both titles at the same time.
• France qualified for the 2020 finals by finishing first in Group H, winning eight of their ten qualifying matches (1E 1D) to score 25 points, two more than Turkey.
• The 2-0 defeat in Turkey on 8 June 2019 was France’s only defeat in 90 minutes in its last 17 EURO matches (13V 3E), qualifying included, before matchday one.
EURO 2000: France 2-1 Italy
• France participates in their 13th consecutive World Cup or EURO finals; he hasn’t missed a single one since the 1994 World Cup, and has reached five finals in that career, winning three of them.
• This is the tenth European Championship in France, and the eighth in a row; the last time he did not qualify for the finals was in 1988.
• All of France’s matches against local Hungary were in Budapest. His balance is one victory, one draw and six defeats. It is his first match at Puskás Aréna.
Curiosities
• Négo, who scored the tying goal against Iceland in the final leg of the 2020 play-off final (his first international goal), was born in France and was part of the French team that won the European Under-Championship Championship. 19 of the UEFA in 2010 in French lands with Antoine Griezmann as a partner. He acquired Hungarian nationality in 2019.
• Négo, who began his professional career at Nantes, also scored the decisive penalty with which Fehérvár beat French Reims 4-1 in the shoot-out from eleven meters on 24 September 2020 in a third round of UEFA Europa League qualification that ended goalless in regulation time.
• Have played in France:Ádám Lang (Dijon 2016–18, Nancy 2018 cedido)
Barnabas Bese (Le Havre 2016–20)
