Robin Bairner’s Hungary v France preview: ‘Golden Triangle’ can unlock Hungary’s defensive set-up
Our Matchday Squad journalist will be covering France throughout Euro 2020
The pragmatism that helped France to their World Cup victory in 2018 was on display on Tuesday as they began Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win over Germany.
An own goal from Mats Hummels secured victory for Les Bleus in a match in which they would likely have seen a draw as a satisfactory result. To start with a win in Munich, then, was an ideal scenario.
Additionally, head coach Didier Deschamps will have been pleased to see his team come through the match unscathed. No reports of injury issues have emerged following the game but a more dynamic approach may be required against a Hungary side likely to be rather more reserved than their first opponents.
Corentin Tolisso or Thomas Lemar could step into midfield in place of Adrien Rabiot, but there seems little prospect that the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe will be broken up. While it was primarily the pace of Mbappe that shone against Germany, this is a trio that also possesses the technical abilities to play intricately through a more defensively orientated opponent.
Although a big crowd and a hostile atmosphere awaits in Budapest, this is a match France will expect to win.
