Jamal Musiala scored once more as Germany maintained their winning streak at Euro 2024 with a victory over Hungary, becoming the first team to secure a place in the knockout stages.
The Bayern Munich forward was impressive throughout the match, netting midway through the first half. He narrowly missed another goal with a powerful shot that grazed the post and received a standing ovation when substituted late in the second half.
Hungary contested Musiala’s opener, claiming a foul by Ilkay Gundogan on defender Willi Orban before the Barcelona midfielder assisted Musiala, who fired into the top of the net. A video assistant referee (VAR) review upheld the on-field decision, allowing Musiala to celebrate with his teammates in front of Hungary's supporters.
Hungary thought they had equalized just before half-time when Roland Sallai headed in a rebound, but it was disallowed for offside.
Germany doubled their lead in the second half when former Manchester City player Gundogan was left unmarked and easily scored past goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Following their dominant 5-1 victory over Scotland, Germany faced a tougher challenge against Hungary, who posed occasional threats and defended resolutely.
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai showcased his skill on set-pieces, delivering a superb shot that required a save from Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Szoboszlai had another close attempt in the first half, only to be blocked excellently by Jonathan Tah.
Germany's performance, though not flawless, displayed enough creativity and control to secure the win, making it six points from their first two games. Their advancement to the last 16 is confirmed, and they will finish as Group A winners if they avoid defeat against Switzerland in Frankfurt on Sunday (20:00 BST).
For Hungary, this result is a setback following their initial defeat by Switzerland. They now need to recover from their frustrations and defeat Scotland in their next match to have any chance of progressing.
"I've never complained in my career as a coach. I've never looked for excuses, but what the referee did tonight - I mean, come on," Hungary boss Marco Rossi said afterwards. "It's something that I think even the Germans have seen - the referee had double standards. The VAR at this level didn’t say anything. Germany would have won anyway because they were better than us, but the referee was the worst on the pitch."
