(Football news) Hungary handed an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Euro finalists England in a UEFA Nations League group 3 match. The loss was the worst defeat England had suffered in 68 years and it was also their heaviest home defeat since 1928. Manager Gareth Southgate benched the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish for the game. The weak link was the left back spot which doesn't have a natural player as Reece James had to play on that side. New faces Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher and Jarod Bowen were given a start.

In the 16th minute the English defence went to sleep as Roland Sallai scored from a long free kick. Hungary had another set piece which was hit directly towards goal but was cleared off the line by James. After a disappointing 1st half performance, Southgate responded by replacing Bowen with Raheem Sterling. The substitution didn't work as Hungary doubled the lead in the 70th minute via Sallai who got his 2nd goal of the night. 10 minutes later, Zsolt Nagy got Hungary's 3rd with an absolute rocket from outside the box. Things got worse for the home side as John Stones got a 2nd yellow for elbowing a player off the ball. 1 minute before full time Daniel Gazdag made it 4-0 to the visitors.

England had 69% possession and 10 shots but only 2 on target. In their four Nations League 2022/23 matches, England have lost 2 and drawn 2. Despite their runners up finish at the Euros and all the hype, England still have a few holes to fill. Manager Gareth Southgate has come under heavy criticism recently for his negative tactics. Fans and experts have said that Southgate's overly defensive and safe tactics don't allow the players to play to their full potential. This generation of England have been extremely successful but the argument is whether they have achieved it based on the talent of the players or tactics of Southgate or both. England have one more international break left before the World Cup where they will play Italy and Germany. Southgate will have a lot of questions to answer in those two games. 

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