England players react after Hungary fans throw flares on to the pitch. AFP
England players react after Hungary fans throw flares on to the pitch. AFP
England players react after Hungary fans throw flares on to the pitch. AFP
England players react after Hungary fans throw flares on to the pitch. AFP

England endure abuse but brush aside Hungary


  • English
  • Arabic

England endured a hostile atmosphere and were pelted with plastic cups but still brushed aside Hungary in a World Cup qualifier.

They beat Hungary 4-0, in England’s first game since losing the European Championship final, and took control of the group.

For Hungary, it was a miserable night on the field and the country's Football Federation is likely to face a Fifa investigation after crowd misbehaviour and reports of racial abuse of two of England's black players.

Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane and Harry Maguire scored in a 14-minute flurry and Declan Rice added a fourth second-half goal.

England's fourth straight victory in Group I extended its lead to five points on the road to qualifying for Qatar.

“It is a real tough place to come," captain Kane said. "We knew it was going to be a difficult game and such a big game in the group as well.

"We knew if we won here it puts us into a great position and almost one foot into the World Cup."

England's forward Raheem Sterling scores the first goal against Hungary. AFP
England's forward Raheem Sterling scores the first goal against Hungary. AFP

Elsewhere in the group, Poland is second after beating Albania 4-1, while Andorra earned its first win by beating fellow minnow San Marino 2-0 at home.

England started slowly at Puskas Arena after being loudly jeered inside by a 60,000-strong crowd of mostly Hungarian fans for taking a knee before kick-off.

British domestic broadcaster ITV reported there were "monkey" chants by Hungary fans behind the goal towards two black England players, Sterling and unused substitute Jude Bellingham.

Kane said he didn’t hear the chants but: “If that was the case, hopefully Uefa can come down strong.”

Hungary was playing in front of its supporters about two months after Uefa ordered the team to play three games without fans, one of which was suspended for a probationary period of two years.

The punishment was for “discriminatory” behaviour by its supporters at all three of its Euro 2020 group games.

Sterling put England ahead in the 55th minute by side-footing Mason Mount’s cross and as he celebrated near the corner to the right of the goal, he revealed an undershirt with an apparent tribute to a friend.

Harry Kane scores England's second goal. Getty
Harry Kane scores England's second goal. Getty

Cups came raining down on the Manchester City winger and his teammates who came to congratulate him. Declan Rice pretended to take a sip from one of them.

Kane headed in a cross from Sterling in the 63rd minute before Maguire nodded home a corner from Luke Shaw, the ball squirming out of Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi’s grasp.

Cups, then a flare landed on the field after Maguire’s goal.

Gulacsi then let a long-range shot from Rice go under his body and into the net in the 87th, completing the win.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War and the virus
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Updated: September 02, 2021, 10:24 PM`