Jamal Musiala scored one goal and assisted three others to lead Germany to a crushing 5-0 victory over their guests Hungary on Saturday in a triumphant start to the UEFA Nations League.
Germany, who are targeting victory in the 2026 World Cup after reaching the quarter-finals of the Euros hosted in July, appeared with a new look following the international retirements of 2014 World Cup winners Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, and Manuel Neuer. Team captain Ilkay Gündoğan also ended his international career.
The hosts took the lead in the third-tier group A match through Niclas Füllkrug, after a decisive pass from midfielder Musiala following a series of passes in the 27th minute.
Germany, who are set to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in a group that also includes Bosnia, should have added at least another goal when Kai Havertz's header struck the crossbar in the 33rd minute, and his shot went just wide in first-half stoppage time.
Hungary pressed for an equalizer, but Musiala extended the lead in the 58th minute after a counterattack from Germany following a corner from the visitors.
Florian Wirtz scored the third goal after a pass from Musiala in the 66th minute before Havertz hit the post again.
Musiala, the man of the match, provided the ball to Alexander Pavlović to score the fourth goal in the 77th minute.
Havertz completed the scoring with a penalty nine minutes from time.
Goal-scorer Füllkrug said: "It was a pleasure to watch today. Jamal (Musiala) was in excellent form. It's great to have him in the squad. We made plenty of runs and made things very difficult for the opponent. Even when we didn't have possession, we were in control of the game."
Summary of the match between Germany and Hungary:
