World champions France only play 1-1 at the European Football Championship: Griezmann prevents a Hungarian sensation

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Antoine Griezmann (left) managed to equalize France against Hungary

Photo:

Alex Pantling / AP

It could have been the first real sensation at this European Championship. But world champions France have at least averted a defeat against Hungary in their second Group F game and still have good chances for the European Championship round of 16. The team of coach Didier Deschamps managed against Hungary, the 37th in the Fifa world rankings, only 1: 1 (0: 1) after it had surprisingly been 0: 1 at halftime in the Puskas-Arena with 55,062 spectators in Hungary's capital Budapest. Attila Fiola for Hungary (45th + 2nd minute) and Antoine Griezmann for France (66th) scored the goals.

France defeated Germany 1-0 on Tuesday.

With four points, the French are currently number one in Group F. In the evening, Germany will meet Portugal (6 p.m., TV: ARD; live ticker SPIEGEL.de).

After the 3-0 defeat against Portugal, Hungary have a point at the start, but they also have a chance of progressing.

Deschamps only changed his staff in one position compared to the game against the DFB team: Lucas Digne started instead of the Munich left-back Lucas Hernández.

A cross from the 27-year-old also provided the first chance.

It landed at the completely free standing Kylian Mbappé, but the star attacker headed just wide (17th).

Karim Benzema missed an even better opportunity when Mbappé cleared him with the outside instep in the penalty area (31st).

Mbappé himself failed for the second time after the 22-year-old had dribbled around four Hungarians in the penalty area (33rd).

Drumming for joy on the reporter table

Hungary survived this strong French pressure phase and even the early failure of striker Adam Szalai. The Mainz player had to be replaced with circulatory problems due to the heat (26th). In the blazing sun and 28 degrees in Budapest, what no one expected happened: In one of the few Hungarian counterattacks, Fiola prevailed against Benjamin Pavard and Rafael Varane and also defeated Hugo Lloris in the France goal with a low shot: 1-0 (45 . + 2.). The almost 50,000 Hungarian fans in the stadium cheered, the 5,000 French were shocked. And Fiola drummed with joy on the table of a reporter on the sidelines.

In the second half, France struggled for 20 minutes before Mbappé showed his class.

The PSG striker skilfully steered a long tee from Loris to Griezmann, and the FC Barcelona attacker equalized from eight meters (66th).

But anyone who believed that this was the starting signal for a French final offensive was wrong.

Substitute Ousmane Dembélé and Paul Pogba still came to terms, but either missed the goal or Péter Gulácsi from RB Leipzig missed the opportunity.

Gulácsi then became a Hungarian hero when he parried the badly placed shot by Mbappé (82nd).

There was a maximum penalty for the former Dortmund Dembélé.

After Deschamps only came on in the second half, he took him off the field shortly before the final whistle.

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