Liverpool’s Hungarian duo had very different evenings as Hungary suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League.
Dominik Szoboszlai captained his country at the Puskás Aréna, while Liverpool teammate Milos Kerkez, who joined the merseyside club from Bournemouth in 2025, also started as Hungary looked to maintain their strong home record in 2026.
The hosts ultimately dominated large parts of the contest but were unable to turn their pressure into goals.
Hungary finished with 57 per cent possession and registered 17 shots compared with Ukraine’s 10. They also had 35 touches inside the opposition penalty area, while Ukraine managed just 11.
However, Danylo Sikan’s 42nd-minute header proved decisive after Georgiy Sudakov delivered the cross.
Hungary continued to push after the interval, with the home side creating several opportunities, but Ukraine’s defence held firm to secure all three points.
For Szoboszlai, the result was frustrating, although the Liverpool captain insisted there were positives to take from Hungary’s performance.
“This is how it turned out, I’m proud of the team, we gave it our all today, it wasn’t enough today, luck wasn’t with us, we had our chances, they didn’t go in today,” Szoboszlai said as per quotes relayed by M4 Sport.
He also felt Hungary had controlled the second half despite failing to find the breakthrough.
“In the second half, they really had nothing to do with the match,” he added, before stressing that Hungary needed to continue in the same direction.
The Hungarian media, however, had a more critical assessment of the two Liverpool players.
Nemzeti Sport handed Kerkez a rating of 4, questioning his involvement in the opening goal and his overall contribution before the break.
“He could have run past the, to put it mildly, chunky Ukrainian midfielders and the occasional tall defenders – and he certainly should have run like someone who was being pulled up, but he was a bit static, a bit of a jogger,” the outlet wrote.
The publication specifically pointed to Kerkez’s positioning for Ukraine’s opener, noting that Sikan moved in behind him before heading the ball into the net.”
“Nemzeti Sport did acknowledge that the Liverpool defender “switched up a gear” in the second half.
Szoboszlai received a higher rating of 6, with Nemzeti Sport highlighting the amount of attention he attracted from Ukraine’s midfield.
The report suggested that the Liverpool midfielder was forced to drop deeper and cover huge areas of the pitch because Ukraine concentrated so heavily on stopping him.
“Now we have (also) an answer to why he has to step back deep for the ball and even play the entire pitch from the wings: the entire Ukrainian midfield – a total of 340 kilos of muscle – defended him (let’s say, not by chance).”
“He ran a lot (he wrestled a little), but his style in this match was very lacking in Barnabás Varga and Roland Sallai.” Nemzeti Sport wrote.
Despite the criticism, Szoboszlai’s own assessment was clear: Hungary must move forward.
“We have to continue what we’ve been doing, and luck will be on our side,” he said.
For Liverpool, the international night therefore ended with contrasting reviews for two of their Hungarian players, with Kerkez facing sharper criticism while Szoboszlai was credited for his work despite Hungary’s failure to find an equaliser.
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