STUTTGART, Germany — Jamal Musiala is lighting up the European Championship and showing just why his teammates think the 21-year-old forward can go on to become one of the best players in the world.Musiala scored his second goal of the tournament on Wednesday to help Germany beat Hungary 2-0 and book its spot in the knockout stage.
“For me it’s incredible to play with him, he can do the unexpected in every single situation,” Germany captain İlkay Gündoğan said. “Maybe he’s the most important one at the moment for us and at such a young age as well.
“And, I love him. He’s such a complete player and such a nice guy as well. Very humble. And if he keeps doing his thing, the way he’s doing right now, he can be one of the best.”
Musiala opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a goal that was furiously protested by Hungary.
Gündoğan had set that up and got on the scoresheet himself in the second half.
Musiala had netted Germany’s second goal in the 5-1 opening victory over Scotland on Friday to kick off Euro 2024. Hungary lost 3-1 to Switzerland on Saturday and now faces an uphill challenge to advance.
“He did brilliant in both games,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “Not only the two goals, I think every situation or offensive proposition is pretty tough for the opponent to defend.
“I think it’s important for him not to deal with the pressure, just to deal with his capability to solve any offensive one-on-one situations … He should not think about the pressure, because he’s brilliant in just playing soccer.”
Hungary plays Scotland in the final Group A match on Sunday, when Nagelsmann’s team takes on Switzerland.
Hungary was unbeaten in its previous three matches against Germany and it put up a good fight against the host nation in Stuttgart.
Coach Marco Rossi said his players paid the price for what he felt was unbalanced refereeing.
“Throughout my career, first as player and then as coach, I have never looked for alibis,” Rossi said. “But what the referee did tonight … I think even the Germans saw that he used two different measurements.”Germany would have still won, it’s stronger and it would have won, but the referee was the worst on the field.”
Rossi’s side started aggressively and stunned Germany by almost taking the lead inside 20 seconds.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to be quick off his line to slide to the ball to stop Roland Sallai.
The noise level ramped up every time Musiala had the ball and the Stuttgart-born forward opened the scoring in chaotic fashion.
Musiala tried to set up Gündoğan but Hungary defender Willi Orbán got to the ball first. However, he stumbled — following what Hungary protested was a shove by Gündoğan — and as shotstopper Péter Gulácsi tried to help him, Gündoğan poked it on to Musiala, who smashed it into the net with the goalkeeper still on the ground.
“I was quite surprised that the Hungarian player and his teammates were angry about it,” Gündoğan said. “I played in the Premier League for seven years and if you gave that in the Premier League as a foul I think everyone would have been laughing on the floor.”
Hungary almost leveled immediately but Neuer did brilliantly to parry Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick and then keep out a follow-up with his foot. The crowd celebrated the save almost as loudly as it had done the goal.
The loud home fans thought Musiala had doubled his tally at the end of the half but his shot was deflected, hitting the side netting and making it ripple so that even Nagelsmann appeared to think it had gone in.
Germany was seemingly in control in the second half and did get a second in the 68th minute when Maximilian Mittelstädt rolled the ball across from the left and Gündoğan drove it into the bottom right corner.
Albania 2, Croatia 2
Albania substitute Klaus Gjasula had the rare experience of scoring for both teams Wednesday in an intense 2-2 draw with Croatia in Hamburg, Germany, that could make it difficult for each to survive the group stage at Euro 2024.
The Croatian players were particularly disappointed with the result in Hamburg after Gjasula’s stoppage-time goal denied them a much-needed win after they lost 3-0 to Spain in their opening Group B match.
“My first minutes on the pitch were very, very difficult for me not only for the own goal but also other situations,” Gjasula said. “Then God wanted and gave me the opportunity to score. A very beautiful, historic day for me.”
In the first-ever competitive match between the two Balkan teams, Croatia tried to set the pace from the start, but it was Albania’s Qazim Laci who scored first, heading in a cross from the right flank in the 11th minute.
Andrej Kramaric equalized in the 74th minute before Gjasula’s own goal made it 2-1 for Croatia just two minutes later.
At that point, Croatia looked in control but a late surge by Albania changed everything once again as Gjasula redeemed himself by scoring with a low shot in the 95th minute.
It was a thrilling end-to-match that leaves both Croatia and Albania in a precarious situation in the group. Albania lost to defending champion Italy 2-1 in its first match.
The third-place Albanians, who are ahead of Croatia on goal difference, celebrated the most after the match, while Luka Modric and his teammates — semifinalists at the 2022 World Cup — looked disappointed as they applauded the Croatian fans.
“We would have been a lot happier if we hadn’t conceded the last goal. The situation would have been totally different,” Kramaric said. “We turned the match, and we should have won. But that’s football.”
The Volksparkstadion in Hamburg was split evenly between red-clad Albania fans and spectators in Croatia’s checkered shirt providing a loud and energetic atmosphere.
Fans in Croatia’s section set off flares repeatedly, despite warnings over the loudspeakers that it would result in disciplinary action.
Croatia struggled to create chances in the first half and could have faced a greater deficit but goalkeeper
Dominik Livakovic blocked a shot from Kristjan Asllani and a header from Rey Manaj to keep it 1-0 at halftime.
The Croatians came out with more energy after the break and turned the match around in two minutes.
Kramaric equalized with a shot just inside the post. And just moments later Gjasula was unlucky when Albania tried to clear the ball from the penalty area but it bounced off him and into the net for the fourth own goal of the tournament.
Albania coach Sylvinho said he was proud of his team’s performance. Albania is playing only its second European Championship and was considered unlikely to advance out of the group.
“It was amazing. I will remember this game all my life,” he said.
Switzerland 1, Scotland 1
Xherdan Shaqiri’s stunning first-half strike secured a 1-1 draw for Switzerland against Scotland at Euro 2024 on Wednesday in Cologne, Germany.
The 32-year-old Chicago Fire forward rolled back the years with a first-time curling effort from about 20 meters out at Cologne Stadium.
Scotland had led from the 13th minute when Scott McTominay’s shot took a wicked deflection off Fabian Schar to beat Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
But Shaqiri pounced on Anthony Ralston’s loose pass in the 26th to even the match.
The draw leaves Switzerland second in Group B on four points and likely to advance to the round of 16, while Scotland’s hopes of making the knockout round depend on its final game against Hungary on Sunday and results elsewhere.
Both teams had chances to win the game.
The Swiss should have taken the lead just before the hour mark when Dan Ndoye turned Kieran Tierney on the edge of the box. With just goalkeeper Angus Gunn to beat, Ndoye fired wide of goal.
Grant Hanley then headed against the post from a Scotland free kick and Switzerland’s Zeki Amdouni headed wide at the far post late on.
Scotland has never advanced beyond the group stage of a World Cup or Euros on 11 previous attempts.
But repeated disappointment doesn’t seem to dampen optimism among its fans, who filled Cologne’s square before the game.
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Swiss fans were out in numbers, too, creating a raucous atmosphere in the stadium.
The Scots were the first ones cheering when Schar stuck out a boot to try to block McTominay’s effort, but diverted it into his own net.
The lead didn’t last long as Ralston was guilty of a wayward pass at the back. Even then, it took a moment of brilliance from Shaqiri to sweep a left-footed shot into the top corner and past Gunn.
It was the sixth straight major international tournament in which Shaqiri has scored for his country.
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