LONDON: Hungary humiliated England 4-0 away on Tuesday to go top of their Nations League group and hand the hosts their worst home defeat for 94 years in a competition Gareth Southgate's side had hoped would be a morale-boosting warmup for the World Cup.
Southgate made nine changes from the team that drew with Italy at the weekend to give some fringe players a chance. But despite dominating possession, England created few chances and the experiment backfired against a Hungary team who beat them in Budapest earlier in the month and were out for blood again.
Hungary's Roland Sallai began the rout when he controlled the ball on his knee after a miscued header from John Stones before drilling past Aaron Ramsdale in the 16th minute.
Sallai scored a second in the 70th minute with a perfect finish with the outside of his boot after Kalvin Phillips lost a tackle. Zsolt Nagy chipped Ramsdale and Daniel Gazdag drove from distance into the corner for two late goals that heaped pain on England.
Adding to their disastrous night, England defender Stones was sent off for two yellow cards.
Southgate said he had picked a young, experimental team, heavy on attacking talent, which left his side exposed when the game turned against them.
The result left Marco Rossi's tough Hungary side top of Group A3 on seven points, with England in fourth and bottom spot on two points. Germany are second on six points after winning 5-2 against Italy, who are third on five points.
England captain Harry Kane, who provided some of England's few moments of quality and hit the bar with a header, acknowledged his side's second half capitulation was "unacceptable" but also urged fans to be forgiving.
It was the first time England had lost a home match by four or more goals since March 1928 when Scotland beat them 5-1. And it was the first time an away team had scored four goals against England since the Hungarians themselves won 6-3 1953.
Five-star Germany crush Italy to snap winless run
Germany demolished Italy 5-2 on Tuesday with a sparkling display of attacking football for their first Nations League A Group Three win, snapping a four-game winless run and stretching their unbeaten streak under coach Hansi Flick.
In Germany's best performance under Flick, Timo Werner struck twice after goals from Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan and Thomas Mueller had put them in the driving seat.
Teenager Wilfried Gnonto pulled one back in the 78th and Alessandro Bastoni headed in a second for the visitors in stoppage time.
This was Germany's first Nations League win in four matches, and the first for Flick, unbeaten in 13 matches since taking over last year, against a top European nation. They had drawn against Italy 10 days ago.
Germany, looking to peak at the year-ending World Cup in Qatar following a first round exit in 2018, are now on six points in second place, one behind Hungary.
Flick's team had struggled in a 1-1 draw against Hungary last week after also drawing with the same score against England and Italy earlier this month.
Germany captain Manuel Neuer had promised fireworks from the start and both teams had chances to score in a pulsating beginning.
It was Germany who struck first when Kimmich charged into the box and tapped in a David Raum cutback in the 10th minute.
The hosts then upped the pace, attacking with a burst of passing moves against Italy's untested side with Jonas Hofmann and Werner going close for the Germans.
On the stroke of halftime, Gundogan stabbed in a penalty to give them a two-goal cushion.
With Italy coach Roberto Mancini making two substitutions, Italy looked livelier after the break.
Yet the Germans struck against the run of play with Thomas Mueller rifling in following a clearance from the Italian defence, to take the wind out of the visitors' sails.
Werner got on the scoresheet, sliding in to connect with a Serge Gnabry assist in the 68th and then added another a minute later when Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's pass was intercepted.
Gnonto pulled one back with his first international goal, becoming the youngest scorer for Italy at the age of 18, and Bastoni added a second to deny the Germans a record winning margin over them.
Depay nets late winner as Netherlands beat Wales 3-2
Lively forward Noa Lang scored his first international goal and Memphis Depay got a last-gasp winner as group leaders Netherlands secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Wales in their Nations League A clash at a festive De Kuip in Rotterdam on Tuesday.
After Lang had opened the scoring, Cody Gakpo added a second for the home side before Brennan Johnson pulled a goal back for the visitors.
That was the way it stayed until Gareth Bale netted a 92nd-minute penalty which looked to have secured a point for the Welsh, but Depay, who missed a penalty late on in the 2-2 draw with Poland last time out, still had time to score the winner.
Netherlands lead Group Four with 10 points from their four games, three ahead of second placed Belgium. Poland (four points) and Wales (one) fill the bottom two positions.
The Dutch have now won all 10 matches they have played against Wales but were made to work hard for this latest victory.
Lang had already forced a good save from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey before he found the back of the net on 17 minutes as he twisted and turned past three Wales defenders and rifled his shot into the net.
Gakpo then scored in similar fashion six minutes later, but when Wales mounted a rare attack midway through the opening half, Johnson was able pick his spot from the edge of the box.
Bale looked to have rescued a point late on when he coolly slotted in an equaliser from the penalty spot, but that joy for the visiting supporters lasted just a minute before Depay, on as a substitute, poked the ball into the net from close range.
Collins wonder goal in vain as Ukraine hold Ireland
Ireland were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in their UEFA Nations League group game on Tuesday after Nathan Collins's spectacular solo strike in the first half was cancelled out following a collective defensive lapse in the second.
Collins scored his first international goal when the defender intercepted a pass near the centre circle and went on a solo run through the Ukraine midfield and defence, skipping past five players before beating the goalkeeper.
But Ukraine equalised just 90 seconds into the second half after they caught out Ireland's high defensive line, with Andriy Yarmolenko drawing them out of position before squaring the ball for Artem Dovbyk at the far post to tap into an empty net.
The result moves Ukraine to the top of the League B, Group One with seven points from three games while Ireland are third with four points having played a game more. Scotland are second, a point behind Ukraine after beating Armenia 4-1 earlier on Tuesday. Agencies
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