Player ratings: Germany 2 – 0 Hungary (Vote here!)

Germany became the first team at EURO 2024 to book its ticket to the knockout rounds after a professional 2-0 win over Hungary on Wednesday. Their foes were obstinate, at times threatening, and could easily have written a different storyline. But the Germans built and built up the pressure until Hungary finally cracked, İlkay Gündoğan of FC Barcelona scoring the clinching second goal, and then killed the game off without incident.

Dominik Szoboszlai was Hungary’s danger man and the Liverpool star was not so far away from creating at least three goals in the first half alone: the Jonathan Tah deflection, the Manuel Neuer save, and the free kick that became an offside goal. He was a constant reminder that even a 1-0 lead would not be safe for Germany.

As tidy as the job done by Julian Nagelsmann’s men was, questions remain heading into the final group stage match on Sunday against Switzerland.

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz was strong in his movement and hold-up but could not find his touch — the life of a striker, or time to see what Borussia Dortmund man Niclas Füllkrug can do? Substitute Leroy Sané will be remembered less for his deft strike that forced a Péter Gulácsi save than his later skied attempt and fumbled pass on the counter. The Bayern Munich winger has been down on his luck since the Rückrunde began.

Can the pair found their groove? For Germany to succeed at this tournament, they will likely need to.

And what of Germany’s yellow cards? Real Madrid center-back Antonio Rüdiger and Stuttgart left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt join Leverkusen pair Robert Andrich (midfielder) and Jonathan Tah (center-back) in the bookings, which do not reset until after the quarter-finals. Perhaps it is a good time to find out what Germany’s reserve defensive players can do.

Here is how German outlet kicker rated the performances. Have your say below the jump!

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s massive EURO 2024-opening win over Scotland? Good, because the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show has you covered! We’ve got takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s lineup, the brilliance of Toni Kroos, Germany’s relentless attack, and why Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are probably winning over a lot of new fans. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: