United midfielder Zoltán Stieber and the Hungarian National Team defeated the Faroe Islands 1-0 on Tuesday in their second World Cup Qualifier of the international break. Stieber earned a starting nod for his country after remaining an unused sub in their first match of the break, logging 66 minutes in front of the home crowd at Groupama Arena in Budapest.
Hungary was in firm control of the match from the start, out-possessing the Faroe Islands 64 percent to 36 percent and tallying 21 shots (five on target) compared to the Faroe Islands' seven shots (two on target). Despite their statistical advantages, Hungary struggled to get on the score sheet, continuing an unfortunate theme with which the nation has struggled during their World Cup Qualifiers.
Hungary's breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute from halftime substitution Dániel Böde. After the home side earned a corner, Böde fired a left-footed shot from close range to the bottom left corner of the goal, putting Hungary on top and allowing them to bunker down defensively for the remainder of the match.
Stieber put in 66 strong minutes for his country, remaining crafty on the attack and creating chances for his teammates, much like what the midfielder has done during his time with United so far. A Márton Eppel header off of a well-placed Stieber cross in the 6th minute just missed, while another prime scoring opportunity for Hungary's Balázs Dzsudzsák in the 57th minute also arose from a Stieber assist. The midfielder also used his cleverness on the ball to win two free kicks for his country, both coming in the attacking half.
Tuesday's win continues Hungary's sustained dominance over the Faroe Islands during qualifying campaigns. In their last three meetings prior to Tuesday, Hungary defeated the Faroe Islands 1-0 in 2014, beat them 2-1 in 2015, and drew 0-0 in 2016. Hungary end their World Cup Qualifying campaign in third place in the UEFA Group B table with 13 points, and while the Hungarians will miss out on Russia 2018, the qualifiers still allowed Stieber and his teammates valuable minutes on the international stage.
