Despite the unfortunate event that transpired at Stade Velodrome during one of the first matches at Euro 2016, the tournament must go on and, hopefully, any such animosity can instead be channeled on the field and not unto the fans.
Iceland and Hungary will look to bring the focus back unto the sport itself this Saturday, with both clubs looking to keep their momentum going from their respective opening round contests. Who will prevail victorious from this intriguing Group F matchup? Let’s find out more below.
Not a lot of people expected Iceland to make a huge impact in Euro 2016, especially considering that this is the Nordic nation’s first-ever berth to a major football tournament. Yet somehow, the Icelanders did manage to hold Group F’s alpha dog Portugal to an unexpected 1-1 draw this past Tuesday.
Iceland did just enough to push the Portuguese to the limit, even causing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to go off in a tirade well after the game had ended.
Midfielder Birkir Bjarnason’s goal in the 50th minute of the contest proved to be enough to secure the morale-boosting victory of sorts for Iceland. In turn, the team is actually favored to score the first goal of Saturday’s game against Hungary with a price of -115.
However, when you take a look at the big picture of Tuesday’s match, the Icelanders clearly still have a lot of work to do and not let their relative upset of Portugal get to their heads. They had possession of the ball just 27.7 percent of the time, and were extremely lucky to get one of only four shots-on-target that they took the entire match to find the back of the net.
In addition, Iceland also committed 17 fouls to just nine by the Portuguese. If the team is to stand a chance against Hungary this weekend, it’ll definitely need to be much more efficient on the attack and in ball control, and we’re still pretty much in the dark as for how the Icelanders can actually replicate their stunning performance earlier this week.
Hungary is another country looking to make a huge impact on the international scene, with this 2016 campaign being the team’s first Euro appearance since 1972. The Hungarians certainly got off on the right foot this Tuesday by defeating Austria, 2-0.
It was an afternoon to remember for goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who became the oldest player to start a game in Euro history and stopped all of the shots by the Austrians that he faced. Striker Adam Szalai had a banner outing as well, scoring the first goal of the contest to finally snap his 41-game goalless skid. Fellow teammate Zoltan Stieber, meanwhile, pitched in tremendously as well with the insurance goal.
Getting that first group-stage victory was crucial for the Hungarians if they want to be considered as a real threat. As it stands, they are decently priced at +188 to win Group F over powerhouse Portugal (EVEN).
Another win could very well be on the horizon if we are to consider Hungary’s history against Iceland. In 10 lifetime meetings, the Hungarians have won seven of their contests versus the Icelanders and have outscored them a combined 21-10 in those 10 affairs.
Writer’s Prediction
Hungary (+280) wins a much-closer bout this time around, 1-0.
