Michael Owen laments Hungary’s controversial criminal defeat in England, claiming he was “very tough” with Reece James after minimal contact with Zsolt Nagy, who “made the most of it” … while that furious fans hit a “ridiculous” decision.
- Hungary received a penalty when Reece James got involved with Zsolt Nagy
- Dominik Szoboszlai converted the point to a 1-0 victory for his team
- Michael Owen felt that James had been severely penalized for Nagy’s challenge
- Fans agreed with Owen’s opinion, calling the penalty call “ridiculous”
From Sam Brookes for Mailonline
Posted: 20:05, 4 June 2022 | Updated: 11:11 PM, June 4, 2022
Michael Owen believes England were unlucky enough to concede a penalty in their 1-0 defeat on Saturday against Hungary.
After a fine move down the middle Reece James nearly gave the home side a goal after 29 minutes. However the finishing shot went just wide. back to Jordan Pickford.
Dominik Szoboszlai went on to score from the spot, but Owen said the penalty should not have been given in the first place.
Hungary received a penalty after Reece James was sent off for a foul on Zsolt Nagy.
Michael Owen doesn’t think James should have been penalized
Jordan Nobbs acknowledged that the penalty was wrongly awarded by the referee
“I think it was tough,” Owen told Channel 4 as he reflected on the decision that made England suffer a rare loss.
“I still think he’s (James) a little guilty, I don’t think he has to put his arm on his man. The long diagonal was a thorn in our side throughout the game.
“I know what she’s trying to do, she’s just trying to block her husband so Jordan Pickford can come and clear up. I’m not sure he has to do it. But I think it’s a very hard pity. I think he has made the most of it.
His teammate Jordan Nobbs was not convinced that the referee made the right decision.
“I can understand there being a bit (of contact), but it’s too hard considering he first got the ball and then just put his body on the line,” Nobbs added.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored from the penalty spot, putting the ball in near the top left corner
Gareth Southgate saw his team suffer their first defeat in regular time since 2020
Fans who watched the match reacted to the incident on social media and seemed to very much agree with Owen and Nobbs.
“Reece James could have killed him,” a sarcastic Twitter account posted, indicating that they felt Nagy was exaggerating the contact that was made.
‘Ridiculous decision!’ a fan wrote after the referee signaled the point.
A Twitter account joked that Reece James could have killed his opponent
An amateur claimed that the sentence handed down in Hungary was “ridiculous”
One fan suggested that the penalty decision in favor of Hungary was soft
An observer was baffled by the penalty decision at the Puskas Arena on Saturday
Another fan was surprised that the referee signaled the penalty spot
“The game is over,” added another fan, while a supporter said, “You just have to laugh,” was his bewilderment at the decision.
Meanwhile, a fan was even harsher in his criticism of the referee’s call.
“The worst criminal decision I’ve seen in a long time,” they posted on Twitter.
England were unable to rejoin the party after the controversial penalty, as they suffered their first defeat against Hungary in 60 years.
Gareth Southgate’s side will return to action on Tuesday when they face Germany in Munich.