Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Hungary3 - 0Israel

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 June 2024, 12:49
Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai has delivered an injury update ahead of Euro 2024 after the midfielder was forced off in Hungary's 3-0 friendly win over Israel on Saturday.

Four days after playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 friendly loss away against Republic of Ireland, Szoboszlai was handed his 42nd international cap and the captain's armband as Hungary walked out at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen against Israel.

The Magyars raced into a three-goal lead inside the first 22 minutes thanks to an 11th-minute opener from Roland Sallai and a brace from Barnabas Varga, and they eventually cruised to a comfortable victory, concluding their Euro 2024 preparations in encouraging fashion.

However, Hungary's win in their final warm-up match was somewhat marred by the loss of Szoboszlai, who was forced off just before the hour mark with a hamstring issue after receiving on-pitch treatment.

Szoboszlai, an integral first-team figure for manager Marco Rossi, has since issued an update on his fitness less than a week before Euro 2024 gets underway.

Szoboszlai allays injury fears ahead of Euro 2024

Speaking to Hungarian reporters after the match, as quoted by the national team's official account on 'X': Szoboszlai said: "My legs were a bit stiff, I didn't want to take any risks, that's why I came down.

"We started well, the beginning of the second half was weaker, but at the end we were able to keep the ball stable again.

"Overall, we prepared well, we are looking forward to the European Championship, but the most important thing is that everyone is healthy."

Szoboszlai, who missed Euro 2020 due to injury, is determined to avoid picking up another serious problem as he looks forward to representing his country as captain at his first major tournament this summer.

The attacking midfielder contributed with four goals and four assists in eight qualification matches for Hungary, and he also enjoyed a successful debut season at Liverpool in 2023-24 following his £60m move form RB Leipzig last summer, chipping in with seven goals and four assists in 45 games.

Szoboszlai was not the only injury concern for the Hungarians following the win over Israel, as Sunderland's Callum Styles was taken off with a minor issue just before half time, but the substitution was merely a precautionary one by manager Rossi.

Rossi 'satisfied' with Hungary's Euro 2024 preparations

The Hungary boss was pleased with his side's overall performance on Saturday, although he acknowledged that they lost a bit of rhythm as soon as key attacking duo Szoboszlai and Sallai were withdrawn in the second half.

"We started the match really well today; we were motivated and we played in an extremely inspiring environment," Rossi told reporters after the match. "The first half went very well and everything came together in attack, but in the second half, after the substitutions, our routines were more difficult to execute.

"It's difficult to replace Salla and Szoboszlai, and this is partly why the quality of our game dropped. Even then, we had some good attacking moves, but in many respects we still have to make progress before our first match of the European Championship.

"Overall, we can be satisfied with this game and now the most important thing is to regenerate properly over the next two days and for the players with minor injuries to recover for the next stage of preparations in Germany."

Hungary have been drawn in Group A at Euro 2024 and will face Switzerland in their opening fixture at the RheinEnergieStadion in Koln on June 15, before taking on hosts Germany on June 19 and then Scotland on June 23.

Top News

23 December 2024 talksport.com Big things were expected of Marko Mitrovic when he joined Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2008. 23 December 2024 talksport.com talkSPORT has today announced that is has won radio rights to the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 coverage. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Boxing Day football is beloved by fans and one of the highlights of the Christmas schedule - but it can prove tricky for the players. 23 December 2024 talksport.com A handful of Premier League stars will be able to spend Christmas at home this year after receiving a Boxing Day ban. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea return to action on Boxing Day when they play host to local rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lisandro Martinez has claimed that Manchester United were "playing so well" before losing 3-0 to Bournemouth on Sunday. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has allegedly made a further two senior players available for transfer. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal have reportedly scouted Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui as an alternative transfer target to Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly discovered the asking price of Brighton & Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Denis Suarez wasn't the player Arsenal fans wanted to sign - but he's the footballer supporters have a hard time in forgetting. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be aiming to avoid four straight defeats across all competitions when they welcome Everton to the Etihad in the Premier League on Boxing Day. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After spending Christmas Day in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Tottenham Hotspur endeavour to atone for recent failings when they travel to Nottingham Forest for a Boxing Day battle. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After celebrating Christmas Day at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool get back to business on Boxing Day, when they welcome Leicester City to Anfield. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hatayspor vs. Adana Demirspor (Monday, 5.00pm) The battle of the bottom feeders in the Turkish Super Lig unfolds on Monday as Hatayspor host Adana Demirspor at the Mersin Stadyumu. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica vs. Estoril (Monday, 6.45pm) Separated by 10 places in the Primeira Liga table before gameweek 15, second-placed Benfica are clear favourites to outdo Estoril Praia at Estadio da Luz on Monday. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fiorentina vs. Udinese (Monday, 5.30pm) After their incredible success streak was finally brought to an end last week, Fiorentina will aim to start another winning run on Monday, when they meet Udinese. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Yemen and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Christmas Day by facing each other on matchday two of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Yemen and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Christmas Day by facing each other on matchday two of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk First place in Group B of the Arabian Gulf Cup will be at stake on Wednesday as Bahrain and Iraq celebrate Christmas Day at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window.