Schön Szabolcs's Goal Decides It: Hungary 1-0 Slovenia

Hard-Fought Victory at the Puskás Aréna

The Hungarian national football team defeated Slovenia 1-0 in their first match of the year on Saturday evening, March 28th, at the Puskás Aréna. In the friendly match held before 50,252 spectators, substitute Schön Szabolcs scored the winning goal in the 79th minute, returning to the national team after nearly a year and a half absence.

Weak First Half, Strong Finish

The first half of the match saw subdued play, with neither team able to truly seize the initiative. Slovenia did take the lead in the 12th minute with a goal from Danijel Šturm, but the goal was disallowed for a narrow offside by Norwegian referee Rohit Saggi.

In the second half, coach Marco Rossi's team increased the tempo. Sallai Roland created several dangerous chances, while Szoboszlai Dominik directed the play from midfield. The breakthrough finally came in the 79th minute: after Osváth Attila's cross from the right, the defenders cleared the ball in front of Nagy Zsolt, but it fell to Schön Szabolcs, who shot with his first touch. The looping ball ended up under the crossbar, over Slovenian goalkeeper Igor Vekič.

Schön Szabolcs's Return

The winger from Győri ETO FC had not played for the national team since November 2024, and scored the first goal of his career for the national team in his tenth appearance. The goal is particularly valuable, as Schön does not always get regular opportunities at his club in the English second division, yet he proved that coach Rossi can count on him.

"The good play and the goal came in the second half," Nemzeti Sport assessed the match.

The National Team's Situation Before the World Cup Qualifiers

The victory is important from a psychological point of view, as the Hungarian team has been going through a difficult period: the national team has already been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup play-offs, and many have questioned Marco Rossi's position. However, the Italian-Hungarian coach's contract runs until 2030, and the MLSZ (Hungarian Football Federation) presidency has confirmed that he will continue to lead the team.

In the second match of the international break, the national team played to a 0-0 draw against Greece on March 31st, also at the Puskás Aréna. In that match, goalkeeper Tóth Balázs made several brilliant saves to keep Hungary in the game, while Szoboszlai Dominik dribbled past the entire Greek defense in the 51st minute, but the goalkeeper saved it.

Overall, the two friendly matches presented a mixed picture: Varga Barnabás was unable to play due to injury, so Lukács Dániel was given the opportunity in the striker position, while Vitális Milán started in midfield for the first time. Marco Rossi will still have plenty of time to fine-tune the squad before the summer competitive matches, but the success against Slovenia proves that his team is capable of holding its own in close matches.