France, Germany, Portugal advance at Euro 2020 in wild finish to Group F

Germany avoided an embarrassing exit from Euro 2020 with a late equalizer Wednesday against a plucky Hungary side, while Portugal and France advanced with a 2-2 draw that suited both countries in a chaotic sprint to the finish for Group F.

Die Mannschaft risked a second consecutive group-stage exit in a major tournament after conceding in the 11th minute in Munich, sitting bottom of the standings for the majority of the night. Hungary restored its lead shortly after Kai Havertz's leveler in the second half, but Leon Goretzka's right-footed strike in the 84th minute salvaged a tournament-saving 2-2 draw for Germany, lifting it into second place in Group F.

France topped the quartet despite blowing a 2-1 lead against Portugal in Budapest. But the defending European champion still advanced as one of the four best third-place finishers.

The Germans finished ahead on four points due to their superior head-to-head record against the Portuguese.

Hungary concluded the group stage with a respectable two points after shocking France in Saturday's 1-1 stalemate.

Portugal will now play Belgium in the round of 16 in Seville on Sunday. France meets Switzerland in Bucharest on Monday and Germany travels to face England at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

Group F emerged as the so-called "group of death" when the draw took place in November, and boy, did it ever deliver. The three international giants - with six World Cups and six European titles between them - largely punched one another out in some of the most entertaining games of the tournament thus far.

France put on a defensive masterclass to shut out Germany in the opener, only to drop points against Hungary at a raucous Puskas Arena. Not to be outdone, Joachim Low's Germany responded with a 4-2 shellacking of Portugal. The results meant all teams in Group F had a chance to advance ahead of Wednesday's finale.

And the standings changed dramatically as each goal went in. Germany and Portugal shared time in last place after conceding goals to Hungary and France, though both found a way to come back.

Karim Benzema scored his first competitive goals for France since 2015, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted two spot-kicks to ensure Portugal's continued participation in the tournament. The 36-year-old tied former Iranian striker Ali Daei's men's international scoring record of 109 goals.