England beaten by Hungary in Nations League

Hungary players celebrate taking the lead against England in Budapest.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A second-half penalty scored by Dominik Szoboszlai sealed a 1-0 win for Hungary over England in the UEFA Nations League in Budapest on Saturday.

England manager Gareth Southgate handed debuts to Leicester's James Justin and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen at the Puskas Arena.

And after boos from the young fans present as England took the knee ahead of the match, the Three Lions started brightly.

However, the visitors soon faded after the opening 15 to 20 minutes and Hungary had the better chances in the first half overall.

After the break, Reece James was then penalised for a push on Adam Nagy and the referee was quick to award a penalty.

It looked harsh, but Szoboszlai stepped up to fire low into Jordan Pickford's bottom-right corner to give Hungary the lead after 66 minutes.

And England were unable to hit back despite good possession late in the game, with Harry Kane firing into the side netting in the closing stages.

It was a somewhat tired performance by England and a first defeat (excluding penalty shootouts) for the Three Lions since November 2020.

The result also compromises their hopes in the Nations League, with games against Germany and Italy up next.

For Hungary, meanwhile, it is a historic first win over England since 1962.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.