Hungary vs. Norway: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Play-Off
Hungary booked their place at the finals of Euro 2016 by defeating Norway, 2-1 (3-1 on aggregate), at the Groupama Arena on Sunday. They became the first team to progress via the new play-off system for the expanded tournament next summer.
Tamas Priskin buried a thunderbolt into the top corner early in the first half to give the hosts some breathing room on the scoresheet. And they relied on goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly to make some big saves to retain the lead on the night.
Late on, Markus Henriksen deflected the ball into his own net from a Balazs Dzsudzsak corner, and although he scored at the right end of the stadium minutes later, it was too little, too late.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Tamas Priskin, Hungary
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Former Watford striker Tamas Priskin set Hungary on their way to victory with a stunning individual effort, and it was a goal that really did shape the game in the hosts' favour.
Yes, it's always good to go ahead on the night, but the Nemzeti Tizenegy's intended game plan of stout defensive work and counter-attacking raids was validated by the early swing in momentum.
Priskin split two defenders in the channel and chased a long ball upfield, bring it under control, cutting inside and guiding a wonderful strike into the far corner. The Groupama Arena fizzled into life and never quietened down as a result.
Loser: Per-Mathias Hogmo, Norway
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On paper, Norway are a better side than Hungary. Position by position, they're stronger in almost every portion of the pitch.
And yet, over the course of 180 minutes, Hungary beat them fairly convincingly. Gabor Kiraly made some big stops, but Norway accrued too much pointless possession and failed to move the ball between the lines quickly enough.
There were some bright performances in white on the night—Omar Elabdellaoui, for example, played well—but in the final third, a remarkable lack of cutting edge ensured the visitors failed to score the necessary goals.
Given the two games, home and away, played out in similar patterns, it's disappointing manager Per-Mathias Hogmo wasn't able to adjust or tweak in order to find an advantage. A meek loss.
Winner: Gabor Kiraly, Hungary
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Gabor Kiraly, on his record-equalling 101st appearance for Hungary, made several key stops throughout the game to aid qualification to France 2016.
The lovable shot-stopper, adorned in jogging bottoms, rushed out with bravery and confidence to deny two one-on-one chances and denied Marcus Pedersen from point-blank range in the middle of the second half.
Each stop was at a pivotal moment; his impact helped Hungary stay ahead not just on the scoresheet but from a mental perspective too.
Loser: Stefan Johansen, Norway
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Norway as a whole disappointed (barring the odd exception), but one player in particular—Stefan Johansen—put in an especially underwhelming performance. It lands him in the loser's column as a result.
With Hungary falling quickly into a low defensive block, it was on the midfield to move the ball fast and instigate one-twos to create room to play. Martin Odegaard took a while to get going but eventually started linking well, particularly on the right. But Johansen's passing was rash and inaccurate for much of the game.
His form for Celtic this season has been incredibly patchy, forcing manager Ronny Deila to defend him publicly, per the Daily Record, and his performance here is certainly in line with what we've seen from a domestic standpoint.
Winner: The Little Nation of Hungary!
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"Hungary are going to the European Championships. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable," tweeted one dedicated Hungarian football Twitter account after the final whistle. The fact they are attending the finals in France won't sink in for a while yet.
True, they were given a remarkably easy path to the finals. The best team they played in qualifying was Northern Ireland—a solid team, granted, but limited all the same—and drawing Norway in the play-offs meant they avoided some veritable big fish.
But Hungary is a small nation, with a population a shade under 10 million, and the days of the Magical Magyars (in the 1950s) are long gone. This will be their first international tournament since 1986. They're going to enjoy every second of this, and so they should.
