By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Iceland were denied a fairytale win on Saturday afternoon by
an unfortunate own goal against Hungary in Marseille.
Birkir Saevarsson was the unfortunate player to divert the
ball into his own net in the 87th minute to ensure it was honours
even in this Group F match.
On the balance of play, it was a fair result and puts
Hungary in a great position now to reach the last 16. They have four points
already from two games and a point will guarantee their spot in the knockout
rounds. They might already be through by the time they play Portugal on
Wednesday depending on other results.
Sigurdsson
pulls the strings
 |
| Gylfi Sigurdsson gave his country the lead from the penalty spot |
As with most games so far at EURO 2016, this one began as a
slow-burner. The man with the spark was Iceland’s Gylfi Sigurdsson (pictured). He took
control of proceedings and he gave his team the lead in the first half.
Hungary’s veteran goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly made a complete
mess of a cross, dropping the ball and in the aftermath, Aron Gunnarsson was
fouled by Tamas Kadar. It was a soft penalty award and only the fourth of the
tournament in its 23rd match.
Sigurdsson made no mistake, sending Kiraly the wrong way to
ensure Iceland went into the break with a one-goal advantage.
Fortune
favours Hungary
Hungary were not as free-flowing going forwards as they were
in the victory they’d managed on Tuesday against Austria.
Nevertheless, they kept plugging away and were the most
potent attacking threat in the second half as Lars Lagerback’s side were
desperate to hold on to what they had.
Three minutes only remained when fortune favoured the
Hungarians. Substitute Nemanja Nikolic drove down the right-hand side and
whipped a dangerous ball across the six-yard box. The unfortunate Saevarsson
guided the ball into his own net. If he hadn’t made contact, substitute Adam Szalai
would probably have tapped in from close range.
Sigurdsson had a free-kick charged down with seconds
remaining and Hungary held on for a point which puts them in pole position to
progress into the round of 16. Iceland now will have to beat Austria for their
fantastic adventure to continue in the competition.
My best
three players of the match
Man of the Match: Adam Nagy (Hungary)
He was the standout player of those who started the game.
Nagy showed excellent vision in picking out passes and had high energy levels
throughout.
2nd: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Iceland)
Iceland’s best player throughout this match was their
playmaker. He was the man who dominated the first half. Calm finish for the
penalty when under pressure to put his country infront. Sigurdsson struggled to enforce
things in the second half as Hungary drove forwards.
3rd: Nemanja Nikolic (Hungary)
Nikolic made a huge difference when he came on in the second
half. He added a spark that was evidently missing from the Hungarians in the
opening 45 minutes and created the chance for the equalising goal in dramatic
circumstances.
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