Germany's task is to keep home fans dreaming of Euro 2024, coach Julian Nagelsmann said after Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Hungary, adding that he is thinking about winning the next match and not the knockout round.
Nagelsmann praised what he called an incredible atmosphere at the home tournament, calling instances of fans marching with the team to their bus and singing the national anthem during the game as fuel for his team.
“There was a lot of noise in the stadium, that gives you a good feeling,” said the Germany coach. “That helps us, which is hard to believe because we have incredibly experienced and successful players, but it does something with you. It moves you.”
“Our task is to let the fans continue dreaming.”
Goals from Jamal Musiala and Ílkay Gündogan gave Germany a comfortable victory over Hungary that made the host country the first team to qualify for the knockout stage.
With two wins from two, the Germans are guaranteed to be at least among the top two teams in their group after Scotland drew with Switzerland later in the day.
Nagelsmann had special words for Musiala, who has scored in both of Germany's games so far, saying he should ignore the pressure and not be afraid to confront players.
The 21-year-old, playing in his hometown, gave the Germans the lead in the 22nd minute after horrendous Hungarian defending caused Gündogan to put the ball in his path, and he drilled it through a defender.
“I should play as if I were on a small field anywhere in Germany or England, it doesn't matter,” Nagelsmann said. “He should just play football with his friends. He shouldn't think about the pressure, he's just brilliant at football.”
While few will have bet against the home team, it was in fact Germany's first competitive victory over Hungary since the 1954 World Cup final, and fans will now dream of witnessing a fourth European Championship triumph.
“We are improving, but as we improve we have to overcome some problems,” said German captain Gündogan. “That's what this match showed today, especially in the first half, but that's the tournament: you have to survive situations like that. We survive and then we fight back.
“I wanted to be patient and complete my tasks without taking myself too seriously. The more you train together, the better the feeling will be for your teammates as well; the feeling gets better with the guys around me.”
Hungary coach Marco Rossi admitted Germany was the better team on the day but criticized some refereeing decisions that have left his team's hopes of progress hanging by a thread.
“The referee used a double standard, because in the first half the referee allowed a goal after a push to Orban, and in the second half in a similar situation with [Germany’s Robert] Andrich, the referee called the foul,” Rossi told reporters.
“So we need to use a single standard, not a double standard. From my point of view, Germany would have won anyway, they are stronger than us and they would have won anyway, but the referee was the worst on the field. Germany it did not”. “I don't need help from the referee, especially against a team like Hungary.”
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
