No fear for dark horses Hungary ahead of Swiss opener

DUESSELDORF, Germany : Whisper it quietly but their is growing belief that the Hungary side who start their Euro 2024 campaign against Switzerland on Saturday can be the one that finally emerges from the shadows of the nation's soccer heyday.

The legacy of the Magical Magyars, the 1950s team of Ferenc Puskas, has weighed heavily on generations of Hungarian footballers and there has been little to cheer about since.

They have not qualified for the World Cup finals since 1986 and although they did reach the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, they suffered a group-stage exit at Euro 2020.

There is a newly-restored pride in wearing the Hungarian shirt, however, and a quality squad featuring several players plying their trade at Europe's top clubs are regarded as dark horses for a deep run in Germany.

"We've prepared perfectly for tomorrow's game and we have no reasons to fear," right back Bendeguz Bolla told reporters on Friday ahead of the Group A clash - the first meeting of the two nations in a major tournament for 86 years.

Arriving without any inferiority complex is certainly what Hungary's populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban is trumpeting.

The divisive figure has latched wholeheartedly on to the national team's re-emergence as a soccer force and was quoted in tabloid newspaper Blikk as saying the team are "no longer little boys but men who want to beat you".

Italian head coach manager Marco Rossi steered Hungary to win their qualifying group and they came close to a place in the Nations League finals after beating Germany and England.

A 14-match unbeaten run ended with this month's friendly defeat by Ireland, but they signed off for Germany with victory over Israel.

"I told them that confidence in them is growing and it has been