England thrash Hungary in World Cup qualifier

 England thrash Hungary in World Cup qualifier.

England strengthened their hold on their World Cup qualifying group with a devastating second half display against Hungary. But this was a game once again completely spoilt and stained by the despicable antics of a deeply abhorrent and disgraceful minority who seemed hell bent on ruining the whole spectacle. Of course football has been here before confronted by the vile, egregious spectacle of ignorant and moronic fans who spent 90 minutes spitting out horrendous racist bile and poison that has no room in society let alone among football fans. 

It should be pointed out that the game's more positive and upbeat aspects must not be overlooked since to give these football dunderheads the oxygen of publicity can never serve any purpose. Sadly though they were there in their hundreds and thousands, orange, white and green Hungarian banners, Hungarian faces and voices gathered together en masse rather like some aggressive trade union mob, disgustingly slow hand clapping accompanied by yet more repulsive monkey chants. Oh how to rid the game of this scum. 

What happened on the pitch was far preferable and much more palatable than the nasty verbal artillery spilling from the collective lips of the Hungarian supporters. England of course beat Hungary 4-0 and yet the game itself almost seemed immaterial and insignificant for a while. On reflection you have to say that maybe the Hungarians had been given a dose of their own medicine and that England had shown them exactly how they felt by the overwhelmingly impressive manner of their victory over Hungary. Take that Hungary. You were told once and the appropriate punishment will be meted out. 

During the summer of course the Hungarians were one of the first nations to embrace the return of football fans to the grounds. Over 65,000 saw one of their first group matches against Portugal in Euro 2020 and we thought, with every justification, that football had welcomed back its most vocal loyalists with a slap on the back and congratulations from all four corners of the world. Just watching those vast hordes of Hungary supporters applauding their team in such perfect unity was a sight to behold. 

But four months down the line since the end of Euro 2020 and football supporters re-assembled once again and we must have thought that everything was sweetness and light. How horribly wrong were we? Last night a fascist, racist, nationalistic and pathetic bunch of thugs and violent tongues, scarred football and some of us were so ashamed of ourselves that we didn't quite know where to hang our heads. At the end we were probably relieved that it was all over since we couldn't possibly face the ugliness of it all anymore. 

Still the Puskas arena witnessed the latest generation of Hungarian players. Now for those who can remember them there was a time when Hungary were just unplayable, unbeatable, an aura of invincibility wrapping around the nation's football like a halo. They were of course the Magical Magyars, a team led and orchestrated by the remarkable Ferenc Puskas, a team of almost witty impulses, all round magic and mystique with natural gifts, bewitching ball control, abundant skills and  touches on the ball that reminded of a series of musical notes from a classical concert.

It was heavenly football, football from the angels, ethereal football that tinkled from the piano and wept from a violin. Hungary were the unluckiest team to lose a World Cup Final when West Germany beat them in the World Cup Final of 1954 in Berne, Switzerland. There was Puskas, Zoltan Czibor and Jozsef Boszik among a whole host of ostentatious ball playing artists who should have been in the theatre but were content to play in a footballing theatre. 

Last night the Magical Magyars though had gone completely missing and the neutrals were baffled. What on earth had happened to that astonishing Hungarian team who had opened up England with the sharpest scalpel and gobbled up Billy Wright's 1953 class at Wembley on a misty November afternoon at Wembley?That afternoon Hungary devoured England with all the relish of a Sunday roast. It finished 6-3 but it could have been a cricket score. 

The following year the Hungarians wiped the floor with England in the most shocking unravelling of an international football team. In Budapest Hungary beat England 7-1 and England were speechless, humiliated, cowering behind the sofa, wounded, distraught, hurt and shaken to the core. In a sense the present England team may never have fully recovered from that blow to every part of their body and although we've almost won a major international tournament the Italians did expose Gareth Southgate's England in the Euro 2020 Final. 

So here we were here once again last night. England, as is their wont, are now past masters in the art of qualifying for either a Euro or World Cup tournament. In fact some academic ought to give them a cap and gown at some world famous university because a degree should be handed out to them. Once again England have a huge lead at the top of Group I and should qualify from the group with absolute ease,  the World Cup in Qatar at the end of next year be theirs for the taking.  

On Sunday England go to Andorra in another World Cup qualifier and in a part of the world more normally associated with ski-ing rather than football, England shouldn't really slip up. The assumption is that England will probably win without even breaking sweat. Then they face Poland next Wednesday in Warsaw which does tend to give uncomfortable jitters when they have too much time on their hands.

 In the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico, Gary Lineker brought the Poles out in a cold sweat with a healthy hat-trick and the game was over well before tea time. But in a 1974 World Cup qualifier against the same opposition Norman Hunter had a rush of blood to the head when his lack of a decisive tackle ended up with the Poland opening the scoring and knocking England out of the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. 

But in last night's head to head with Hungary Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Declan Rice picked up from where they left off in Euro 2020. All four were models of reliability, guarding the front of England's defence like sentinels on a watchtower. Maguire, in particular was caution personified but always cool, deliberate and analytical, pacing his steps out of defence with careful vigilance. Declan Rice, of West Ham is beginning to look like the kind of mature and commanding defender that his West Ham and legendary predecessor Bobby Moore was, clipping intelligent and short passes into space  circling around the centre circle and then charging past defenders daringly and thoughtfully. 

For a while though it took all of the aforesaid defenders time to get used to their international bearings and Stones was almost caught out when he misjudged the bounce of the ball and almost allowed the Hungarians in for the opening goal. But once again Mason Mount was hugely cultured and comfortable in possession, dribbling daintily with the ball and then linking with his colleagues with a technical proficiency that reminded you of a young Alan Hudson, a former Chelsea player himself. Then Luke Shaw bounded forward confidently before England's attack really began to go for broke. 

England's opening goal shortly after half time owed a great deal to the increasingly influential and brilliantly manipulative midfielder Jack Grealish. Grealish looks so constructive and inventive that for those of us yearning for another Paul Gascoigne, Bobby Charlton, Sir Trevor Brooking and Tony Currie, natural game changers one and all, Grealish looks as though he may have answered more questions than any of us could possibly have imagined. 

And so it was that England took the lead minutes into the second half. Grealish, all subtlety, craft and impudence with just a dash of wily, streetwise intelligence, picked up a smart ball from Rice, before scuttling towards Grealish. Manchester City's £100 million man tip toed  and invited defenders into his path before releasing Mason Mount. Mount latched onto the ball, darted towards the by line before cutting the ball back quickly and low across the Hungarian's penalty area where Raheem Sterling stood back and just tapped the ball into the net from close range. 

Minutes later England went further ahead. By now England's football had begun to assume a much more rounded character and a confident assertiveness that took you back to Germany, Ukraine and Denmark during Euro 2020 when goals came all too easily and victories were savoured like a fine Chablis wine. 

Once again Grealish was at the centre of England's universe. Dribbling through forests of legs as if they weren't there, Grealish moved the ball on to Sterling who scurried furiously towards the by line again. His beautifully timed cross met Harry Kane and the Spurs striker stooped low to direct a downward header that bounced over the Hungarian goalkeeper and into the net for England's second. 

Now the game was all but up for the Hungarians who, it has to be said, were miserably poor and appallingly submissive, folding up like the proverbial deckchair. England scored their third and for a moment there was an instant flashback to Harry Maguire's goal for England when the Manchester United defender came up for a free kick against Ukraine during the Euros. Then Maguire made a hasty escape from his marker to score and, against Hungary, Maguire headed down and into the net firmly for another special and third goal for England. 

As the match reached its concluding plot, England were far from finished. Hungary were down and out and craving a bowl of goulash, their supporters still hurling cups onto the pitch and behaving with all the villainy of hardened criminals. England had got the job done and had trodden all over Hungary. Sometimes justice can be seen to be done and this was the perfect case in point. 

With a minute to go the superb Declan Rice, once again joining his attack just as a token gesture, arrived on the edge of the Hungarian penalty area. Another moment of intricacy between England's cock a hoop players resulted in Rice eyeing up a shot outside the area and then blasting a powerfully driven low shot past a besieged Hungarian goalkeeper for the fourth England's goal.

So it is that England head back to Wembley on Sunday for Andorra where Gareth Southgate may be tempted to field a team of Under 18s, such is the nature of the game. You would be right to assume that this could be and should be the easiest international game England will ever have to negotiate. But then we did say much the same about Iceland in Euro 2016 and the USA in the World Cup of 1950. And then it's Poland again next Wednesday. 1973 still sounds like a painful weight on England's shoulders but Gareth Southgate is quite definitely not Sir Alf Ramsey on that fateful World Cup qualifying night in October 1973.

Besides, Sir Alf was never one for snappy waistcoats and the Southgate fist bump of triumph was never Ramsey's style. Qatar for England may seem a long way off but football in the desert next Christmas time does sound an appealing prospect. Mind you, if England, to quote another tiresome cliche, can't stand the heat they'd better get out of the kitchen. In Gareth Southgate though, we must have faith.