Hungary end 30-year wait with Euro 2016 qualification

Hungary 2 Norway 1 (Hungary win 3-1 on agg): Hungary booked a return to major tournament football for the first time in 30 years with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Norway in their Euro 2016 qualifying play-off last night.

Leading through debutant Laszlo Kleinheisler’s first-leg goal, Tamas Priskin struck early in the first half before Norway’s Markus Henriksen scored at both ends late on in the hosts’ 2-1 win on the night.

Only five of their squad were even born when Hungary played at the 1986 Mexico World Cup and, of those, only veteran goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly was in the starting line-up on this occasion.

Norway conceded the all-important second goal in the tie in the 14th minute. For all of Hungary’s historic footballing pedigree, it came via a route-one ball out of defence aimed at Priskin in the inside-left channel.

The clearance appeared to catch Norway half asleep and the Slovan Bratislava and former Watford striker cut inside Even Hovland and the back-tracking Vegard Forren to fire right-footed into the far top corner for his 17th goal in 54 matches for his country.

After the break, Hungary captain Balazs Dzsudzsak had a shot deflected onto the crossbar and he then forced Orjan Nyland into a good low save after a driving run, with Kiraly denying substitute Marcus Pedersen with his body after a mistake by Richard Guzmics at the other end.

Guzmics forced Norway’s Henriksen to turn a corner into his own net seven minutes from time and, though the forward then scored at the correct end moments later, it could not retrieve the situation.