"Definitely been the most impressive side so far", "Kroos effect" - X reacts as Germany defeat Hungary in Euro 2024 clash
Germany became the first team to reach the knockout stages of Euro 2024 with a 2-0 win over Hungary on Wednesday, June 19. The hosts secured their progression from Group A after a 5-1 win over Scotland in the tournament opener and the recent triumph over Hungary. They will face Switzerland in their last group-stage match on Sunday, June 23.
Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Niclas Fullkrug, and Emre Can were on the scoresheet during Germany's win over Scotland. This was also the biggest win by a host nation in the opening game of a European Championship.
Goals from Musiala (22') and captain Ilkay Gündogan (67') helped Germany secure their second win in a row. Fans on social media erupted following their win, with some even suggesting that the former World Cup champions are on track to win their first international trophy since 2014.
Here's how fans reacted on X:
A fan said:
"Musalia was hungary today."
Another said:
"Germany are clear favorites rn."
A fan pointed out that the Germans have qualified for the Round of 16 but haven't faced any of the top teams yet. The fan said:
"Perfect start... but they ain’t faced any serious team yet so ama keep my comments till then."
Germany were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the last edition of the European Championships.
Toni Kroos is playing his last international tournament with Germany
In May, Toni Kroos announced his decision to step away from professional football following the culmination of Euro 2024. His last game at club level was the Champions League final with Real Madrid, in which they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
Kroos had retired from international football following Germany's 2-0 loss to England in the knockout stages of Euro 2020. Recently, the team's head coach Julian Nagelsmann stated that it was an uphill task to convince the midfielder to return to the national team.
Nagelsmann said that the 34-year-old only wanted to be a part of the team once he was reassured that the team could compete for the title. The former Bayern Munich manager said:
"It took a period of time to convince him because he wanted to know what we'll change in the future. He said he'll only be part of the team when he feels we can win, so he wanted to know how we'll change the team. Then he said he'll be part of it and 'let's rock'."