Hungarians are already lurking

Germans tremble before the “curse”: Hungary is already lurking!

Even the experienced Toni Kroos has second thoughts.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The German national soccer team kicked off the European Championship at home with a convincing 5:1 win against Scotland, but the hosts are now trembling in fear of the Hungarians. This is because the second group game at major tournaments seems to be a "curse" for the Germans. 

Historically, the DFB team has often failed to win much in the second group game. And when the second game has been won, it can be seen as a bad omen. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they won their second group game against Sweden 2:1 and were subsequently eliminated. In 2021, their only win at the European Championship came on the second matchday against Portugal (4:2). The ensuing embarrassment is as deeply engraved in the souls of the German fans as another preliminary round exit at the 2022 Winter World Cup, where they drew 1-1 with Spain on the second matchday - a small exclamation mark at the time. 

So the last three successes on the second matchday were associated with a disastrous tournament. So is it better for the Germans to make a fool of themselves on the second matchday and play for the title instead? You could say that if you take a look at recent history.

Do the Germans have to lose?
In 2016, there was a surprisingly weak 0-0 draw against Poland in the second group game of the European Championship in France. The Germans were then only stopped by the French in the semi-finals. In 2014, when the DFB team became world champions in Brazil, they drew 2-2 with Ghana on the second matchday. For many experts, this blew the euphoria out of the sails. 

Jamal Musiala (left) and Florian Wirtz (right) want to fuel the euphoria in the country.

(Bild: GEPA)

At the 2010 World Cup, Germany finished in third place and suffered an embarrassing 0:1 defeat to underdog Serbia on the second match day. At the 2008 European Championships in Austria and Switzerland, a 2:0 win against Poland to open the tournament was followed by a 1:2 defeat against Croatia on the second match day. In the end, the Germans only narrowly lost to Spain in the final. 

So should the Germans play a weak game against Hungary today? Especially as the last win against Hungary was eight years ago. "Germany are now the total favorites against Hungary, who lost their first game and didn't put in a good performance. But that's a fallacy, because you have to start from scratch in every game," warns expert Markus Babbel in the "ran" interview. One thing is certain, however: in the end, as always, it won't come down to one game and "curses" are there to be broken.