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Hungary pulls out tie against Iceland after late pressure

Stieber-AP

Iceland made their mark at Euro 2016 in their opening tie against Portugal, but couldn’t quite pull out a historic win on Saturday.

Hungary rescued a point against Iceland in a 1-1 draw, after Birkir Mar Saevarsson leveled the match with an own goal in the dying minutes.

The Hungary attack was relentless down the stretch as they searched for a goal, and Saevarsson’s costly mistake in the 87th minute cancelled out an otherwise flawless performance from the Iceland defense.

Gylfi Sigurdsson gave Iceland the lead six minutes before the halftime break after receiving a penalty kick. The 1-0 lead marked the first time that Iceland had ever led at a major championship in the nation’s history.

Despite being overrun and being forced to defend for much of the first half, Iceland kept Hungary at bay, limiting the Hungarians to four shots, none of which landed on target.

Hungary simply didn’t test goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson, managing two shots on frame in the second half, but the own goal came at a timely point for the Hungarians. Forward Balázs Dzsudzsák proved to be the biggest threat for Hungary, but he and the rest of the attack couldn’t break through Iceland’s stalwart backline.

With one match left to play in Group F, Hungary currently leads the group on four points, while Iceland trails with two in two games. Iceland will meet Austria on June 22, while Hungary and Portugal face off.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Despite the late own goal, the Iceland backline performed admirably, only allowing four shots on target from Hungary.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Iceland’s penalty kick prior to halftime was all they needed to capture the three points, and Gylfi Sigurdsson made no mistake from the spot.

MATCH TO FORGET

The Hungarian attack, led by Balázs Dzsudzsák, had every chance to break down the Iceland defense, holding over 70 percent possession. A goal never came though.

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