Hungary can book their place in Euro 2024 when they visit Lithuania. The Magyars need to win to secure a top-two finish, Lithuania needs to win and pray that Serbia loses against Montenegro in order to have any chance of competing in the tournament the following summer.
Preview (Lithuania vs. Hungary)
However, the hosts made life easier for the away team by forcing them to play the whole second half with 10 men. Lithuania comes into this game off a stunning 2-0 away victory in Bulgaria on Saturday night. First, following a lovely ball from Fedor Cernych, Vykintas Slivka had a great opportunity to score. Ivan Dyulgerov expertly stopped his close-range attempt. Later, when Torino player Gvidas Gineitis entered the Bulgarian penalty area. The Lithuanians had another opportunity, but Gineitis’ strong left-footed shot missed the target.
Lithuania had not triumphed in a competitive match for more than two years. Their previous victory came against Bulgaria in 2021 World Cup qualifying. The Lithuanians’ home record, which includes international friendlies, is a major issue for Jankauskas. It is highly unlikely that they will be able to break this streak on Tuesday night.
Barnabas Varga and Roland Sallai each scored twice in the first half to give Marco Rossi’s team their fourth victory in the Euro 2024 qualifying process. With one game remaining, they now lead Serbia by three points. Hungary is one of the few teams with a perfect qualification record. They will attempt to extend it with a victory in Lithuania on Tuesday night. If that occurs, they will arrive in Germany with plenty of time to spare. A win would be sufficient to guarantee them a spot in a third straight European Championship. The Magyars have not lost in nine games overall, including home and away contests, and it has been more than a year since they last suffered an away defeat.
Team News
Since there isn’t much time to recover between games, Jankauskas might be obliged to make some adjustments to keep his team’s legs fresh for the next game on Tuesday. Youngster Gineitis was replaced 20 minutes before the end of regulation time due to a minor injury issue, and it is unknown if he will be able to play two straight games. Edgaras Utkus could step in as a potential replacement in central midfield. Additionally, wingbacks Sirvys and Lasickas also played well and will undoubtedly keep their spots in Jankauskas’ starting lineup.
Zsolt Kalmar, who was dismissed after receiving two cautions in extra time against Serbia, will not be available for Hungary. Both teams entered this game with victories from the previous day, but there is still too much of a gap between them in terms of group rankings and performance caliber to consider this a matchup of equals. After the final whistle in Kaunas on Tuesday night, Hungary should still be unbeaten away from home in the Euro 2024 qualifying matches.
Lithuania 1 – 3 Hungary
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