Northern Ireland win away in the Nations League for the first time: prediction for Northern Ireland vs Hungary
The UEFA Nations League second-round clash between Northern Ireland and Hungary will take place on September 28 at Windsor Park in Belfast. The hosts opened their campaign with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Georgia, while Hungary suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Ukraine.
Northern Ireland: historic victory and a goal in the 99th minute
Michael O’Neill’s side made a perfect start to the new campaign by beating Georgia in Tbilisi. Shea Charles scored the winning goal in the 99th minute, while the result marked Northern Ireland’s first away victory in Nations League history and their first success at League B level.
His brother Pierce Charles also played a major role, saving a penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The team now return home full of confidence and will look to beat Hungary for the first time in a long while — their last such victory came in September 2014.
Hungary: 17 shots were not enough to avoid defeat
Hungary began the tournament with a 0-1 home defeat to Ukraine. Marco Rossi’s team created enough chances and registered 17 shots, but still failed to breach the Ukrainian defense.
The defeat ended Hungary’s four-match unbeaten run. In addition, the team have recorded just one win in their last seven Nations League group matches, making the meeting in Belfast particularly important.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Northern Ireland recorded their first away win in Nations League history.
- Hungary had 17 shots against Ukraine but failed to score.
- Northern Ireland have not beaten Hungary since September 2014.
The visitors can make up for what went wrong against Ukraine: prediction for Northern Ireland vs Hungary
Northern Ireland received a huge confidence boost after their victory in Tbilisi, but the match against Hungary promises to be more demanding in terms of possession and pressure on the defense.
Hungary created enough chances in the opening round, but their finishing let them down. If Rossi’s team maintain the same attacking output, with Szoboszlai and Kerkez actively pushing forward, the visitors will have plenty of chances to make amends for their disappointing start.
