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Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai managed to put Liverpool’s struggles behind them as they helped to strengthen Hungary’s hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup.
A 2-0 win over Armenia means Hungary still has a chance to qualify directly for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, although Portugal’s late win over the Republic of Ireland means that a play-off spot is the most likely route now.
Both Kerkez and Szoboszlai started at the Puskas Arena and played nearly every minute against Armenia, with the former being replaced as stoppage time approached as Marco Rossi looked to protect his side’s lead.
Kerkez in particular may be glad of the victory, having endured a tricky start to life at Liverpool following his summer transfer from Bournemouth - although more questions have been raised about the 21-year-old following his latest performance.
The left-back was awarded a six out of 10 by Hungarian outlet Nemzeti Sport for his performance against Armenia, and while it might not have been a bad display, there were more concerns about his decisions following his exit from Bournemouth.
“A good push was followed by a bad pass, in the 18th minute he made a great save in front of the Hungarian goal, in the 30th minute he dribbled badly instead of passing, causing great disappointment to the spectators,” they wrote.
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“When he started, he often chose the safe solution and passed back, avoiding the risk, the spectators felt many times: the energetic play he saw in the Premier League is missing here, but it seems he would not find his place in Liverpool either. He was more active after the break, fighting for corners.”
As for Szoboszlai, the midfielder enhanced his reputation as he was awarded the Player of the Match award, although he was given the same rating as his Liverpool teammate - albeit with fewer concerns raised about his performance.
“After his first corner, the ball went to Balázs Tóth, but his attack created a situation, then he was stopped for a yellow card, in the middle of the half he made longer attempts, but these were not accurate,” his description said.
“In the 38th minute, he came alone in front of the goal, he aimed for the short corner with his left, but he hit the ball badly, at his level it was a huge shot, he should have scored a goal from this.
“He started the second half with a shot, Willi Orbán could have headed a goal after his free kick, he saved after one of the Armenian corners.”
Liverpool.com says: It does seem that some of Liverpool's players are just struggling in general at the moment, rather than it being a problem with the way things are set up at Anfield.
Although his performance might still have been lacking a little, hopefully a win for Hungary will give Kerkez some much-needed confidence ahead of his return to Merseyside.
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