Hungary drew 1-1 with Germany on Tuesday night thanks to a Panenka penalty in the 99th minute, which demonstrated that Dominik Szoboszlai has ice in his veins.
When Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead with 14 minutes left, Hungary looked destined for a close loss in Budapest.
Long into stoppage time, however, the home team was given a penalty, and Szoboszlai of Liverpool took the penalty kick to seal the victory.
Szoboszlai maintained composure to dink the ball straight down the middle of the goal despite German goalkeeper Alexander Nubel diving to his right.
Named for Antonin Panenka, who notably performed it for Czechoslovakia against West Germany to win the 1976 European Championship final for his nation, it was a masterfully executed Panenka.
Nearly instantly after Szoboszlai’s successful spot-kick, the final whistle blew, forcing Germany and Hungary to settle for a point each.The outcome verified that Germany advanced to the competition’s quarterfinals by winning their Nations League group.
With six points from as many games as they played, Hungary finished third in the group, behind the Netherlands.
Despite holding the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in their final game, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished last in their group and were demoted.
As Arne Slot’s team attempts to stay onto the top spot in the Premier League, Szoboszlai will now travel back to England to rejoin Liverpool.
Due to Curtis Jones’ impressive play, who also had a great international break after scoring for England in their 3-0 victory over Greece last week, the Hungarian midfielder has not been a sure starter in recent weeks.
But against Germany, Szoboszlai returned to his best form, creating seven more chances than any other player on the field. He will be hoping to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup when they play Southampton on Sunday.