Arsenal star Kai Havertz led the line for Germany again as they host Euro 2024, and helped his side to a second successive win in the tournament.
It was a quieter display for Havertz than the one which saw him score and assist against Scotland in the opening game, but he still had some impressive moments at times as Germany went into the interval 1-0 up following Jamal Musiala’s fierce effort.
Hungary caused Germany problems, but the hosts remained in control in Stuttgart as they secured qualification for the knockout rounds.
Havertz again played as a number nine, with Musiala and Florian Wirtz on the flanks, and he caused Hungary issues with his fluid movement, which saw him get on the end of two chances in the early stages.
The Arsenal attacker was then withdrawn for Nicklas Fullkrug in the 57th minute, after he quietened down in the second half, after which Ilkay Gundogan doubled the hosts’ lead.
Kai Havertz delivers fairly quiet display in Germany win
The most impressive thing about Havertz’s performance was his movement, which saw him drift into wide channels and trouble the Hungary defence as he recorded 10 touches in the opposition box.
Havertz did have two unconvincing shots early on, but was not as involved as he was in the Scotland game, and won none of his eight attempted duels.
His frustration showed at times as he committed three fouls before he was withdrawn for the Borussia Dortmund attacker.
German media react to Kai Havertz’s Euro 2024 display
After earning praise for his performance against Scotland, sections of the German media highlighted both his quiet display, as well as Havertz’s petulant fouling before he was withdrawn.
German outlet Welt highlighted Havertz and Wirtz as two of the quieter performers, with the Arsenal star given a 3/5 rating, where a lower number indicates a higher performance level.
“He stood up strongly against Willi Orban in the early stages and almost scored the 1-0. He then set up Gündogan very well, who had not scored in this situation. The Arsenal striker repeatedly drew several opponents to him, but did not often score. He also lacked some luck in this match. He only won 20 percent of his duels and was, along with Wirtz, the weakest player in the German team,” they claimed.
Havertz is likely to keep his starting spot going forward, but with Julian Nagelsmann calling for him to repay the faith shown in him as a striker heading into the tournament, he knows there is pressure on him to deliver.