Julius OkorieNigeria born Germany international, Jamal Musiala, was super impressive as Germany zoomed into round of 16 at the ongoing Euro Championship, after two matches.
Germany became the first nation to reach the last 16 at Euro 2024 as goals from Jamal Musiala and Ilkay Gundogan secured a 2-0 victory over Hungary in Group A.
After thrashing Scotland on the opening night, Germany were provided a stiffer test by Hungary, who they had only beaten once in their last six meetings on the home soil
Manuel Neuer denied Roland Sallai just seconds into the game, after a sloppy defending by his team-mates, but Germany quickly moved into the ascendency, with Kai Havertz and Robert Andrich, going close before Musiala struck.
The midfielder has a dazzling array of skills but it was a scrappy opener, with Willi Orban losing his balance after challenging Gundogan, allowing the captain to set up Musiala for a close-range finish.
Sallai thought he had levelled when he converted the rebound from a free-kick but was denied by a tight offside call, before Barnabas Varga, who almost scored an own goal in the first half headed Hungary’s best chance of the game over Neuer’s crossbar.
READ ALSO No Mercy As Germany Thrashes Scotland in Euro Opener
Gundogan punished Varga’s miss seven minutes later, sweeping Maximilian Mittelstadt’s low cross beyond Peter Gulacsi to ensure Germany reached the next round with a game to spare.
The 33-year-old’s absence from the Premier League – he joined Barcelona to become a key part of their midfield last summer – means it’s possible to forget all that he offers.
After so many years as a No 8 in Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester City side, Julian Nagelsmann has repurposed Gundogan as a No 10, asking him to operate at the tip of an-all star midfield diamond that includes Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.
Musiala, born in Stuttgart to a German mother and British-Nigerian father, was eligible to play for England, Nigeria or Germany before choosing the later and has remained a huge plus impressing in all fronts.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
