Austria started off very strongly against their European neighbors in their Group C bout.
Valentino Lazaro setting Bayern Munich man David Alaba who hit the post on the 10th minute followed by an off target shot by Sabitzer, seemed to have set the tone for the opening Austrian onslaught.
Hungary couldn’t get out of their own half, midfielder Sallai showed some very flashy step overs after a bursting run down the left which may have been a sign of things to come
In between the sticks Gulacsi had to be on his toes on the 26th minute as Sabitizer had another great chance to put Austria ahead but hit it straight at the Hungarian goalkeeper. Marko Arnautovic immediately followed that up with two shots just outside the box with Gulacsi saving it again. Austria seemed to have a strong foothold in the game.
Completely against the run of play that man Sallai made a pitch long run and used his skill to round the Austrian right back before slotting it across to Patkai. The Fehérvár FC player Patkai showed his appreciation to the effort made by Sallai by slotting the ball in the Austrian net on the 32nd minute.
Austria no doubt felt hard done by, and reacted immediately to rectify the admittedly unjust scoreline.
Sabitizer was at the heart of the play, assisting Arnautovic, who finally got it pastthe previously impervious Gulacsi. Going into the tunnels at half time 1 – 1 Austria would be lamenting their missed opportunities, while Hungary counting their blessings.
Following the team’s reintroduction to the field, Alaba missed a golden opportunity which may have allowed Austria the go-ahead, no doubt angering their manager Dave O’Neill.
Alaba was at the heart of the action once again, with a cleverly worked free kick putting Baumgartlinger in a position to get the shot off which took a huge deflection off Loverscics , leaving the keeper stranded. However lady luck shined down on the Hungarians as the ball just went past the outside of the post.
Austria thought they took the lead with a beautifully placed shot, however the referee controversially brought it back for a supposed foul by Arnautovic in the build up. Austrian fans seemed distraught by the fact, with that energy sinking into their countrymen on the pitch.
Hungary capitalized on the Austrians desperation with left midfielder Sallai placing a perfectly weighted ball at the feet of Szalai, who slotted it home to put the Hungarians in the driving seat.
A lot can be said for parking the bus, however Szalai wanted to keep on driving. A well-placed strike allowed the Hungarians some breathing room going into the last ten minutes. That breathing room seemed to suck the air right out of the Austrianss lungs as Hungary carved them opened to secure Szalai his hat-trick, matching Lukaku’s efforts against Russian’s the previous night.
Austria , more specifically Laimer spurned a wonderful opportunity before the 90 minutes were up. With all goals being a valuable asset in this tournament, hopefully he wont regret that to much. Hungary sealed the win with an injury time fifth goal from substitute Vida to cap off a fantastic night for Hungarian football.
Ferenc Puskás would of been proud.
