It was the worst home defeat for the Three Lions since 1928, and piles pressure on manager Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup
England suffered their worst home defeat for 94 years as they were defeated 4-0 at home by Hungary in their UEFA Nations League clash on Tuesday, 14th June 2022.
This is the first time England have been beaten by four goals in a home game since a 5-1 loss to Scotland in 1928.
England’s players were soundly booed at the full-time whistle by the home fans at Molineux, with the pressure now on manager Gareth Southgate going into the World Cup later this year.
What happened to England against Hungary?
While they dominated possession, England created precious little and were picked off by a clinical Hungarian side which scored from four of its five shots on target.
Roland Sallai opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a smartly taken strike after Kalvin Phillips failed to clear a free kick, and doubled the advantage after 70 minutes following a Hungary counter-attack.
Zsolt Nagy and Daniel Gazdag then capped a miserable night for Southgate and England, while John Stones was also sent off for a second bookable offence.
The result means England stay bottom of their UEFA Nations League group and in danger of relegation to the second tier of the competition – but of bigger concern was the flat and uninspired performance, resulting in a home defeat by four goals without scoring for their first time ever.
What did England have to say after the game?
England captain Harry Kane told Channel 4:
“A disappointing night. First half we created enough chances to score but it has been the story of our Nations League, we have not quite had the cutting edge.
“Second half was not acceptable after going 2-0 down. It is not the time to panic, we have to the heads up and come back stronger in September.
“Let’s not forget where we have come from, our first final in 60 years [at Euro 2020], a semi-finals in the World Cup compared to where we have been in the last 50 years. I understand the fans’ frustration, we will keep working to try and have a successful World Cup.”
When asked about the boos aimed at Southgate and whether the manager’s future is in question, Kane said: “It’s not even a question I should be answering.”
