Dominik Szoboszlai demonstrated he had ice in his veins by hitting a Panenka penalty in the 99th minute to win Hungary a 1-1 draw with Germany on Tuesday night.
Hungary appeared to be heading for a narrow defeat in Budapest until Felix Nmecha pulled Germany ahead with 14 minutes left.
However, the hosts were granted a penalty deep into stoppage time, and Liverpool’s Szoboszlai stepped up to take responsibility from the spot.
German goalkeeper Alexander Nubel dove to his right, but Szoboszlai kept his calm and dinked the ball straight down the middle of the goal.
It was a flawless Panenka, named after Antonin Panenka, who memorably performed it for Czechoslovakia against West Germany to win the 1976 European Championship final for his country.
The final whistle was sounded practically immediately after Szoboszlai’s successful penalty kick, and Hungary and Germany were forced to settle for one point each.
Dominik Szoboszlai converted a Panenka penalty late into stoppage time to earn Hungary a draw with Germany.
The Liverpool midfielder blew a kiss to the fans after his moment of magic saved Hungary.
The result confirmed Germany’s top spot in their Nations League group, advancing them to the competition’s quarterfinals.
Hungary finished third in the group, behind the Netherlands, with six points from as many matches.
Bosnia and Herzegovina finished last in the group and were relegated, after holding the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in their final match.
Szoboszlai will now travel to England to rejoin Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side looks to maintain their Premier League lead.
The Hungarian midfielder has not been an automatic starter in recent weeks due to Curtis Jones’ good form, which included a goal for England on his debut in a 3-0 victory over Greece last week.
However, Szoboszlai looked back to his best against Germany, generating more opportunities (7) than any other player on the pitch, and will seek to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup when they face Southampton on Sunday.
