giovedì 23 ottobre 2014

Szolnok comes out on top in thriller

Due to the Champions League games during last weekend involving Szolnok and OSC the domestic championship matches between Szolnok and Eger, and OSC and FTC were scheduled to be played last night.
For Eger this was a great chance to get back in front after the disappointing result against UVSE in round 2. The team of Coach Norbert Dabrowski was extra motivated knowing that Szolnok came from a tough weekend with 3 hard games and some tiring traveling to Serbia.
The defending champion was trailing 2 points ahead of the game after the surprising draw against UVSE and was looking to redeem themselves against the number 1 title candidate.
Looking at the results, OSC had an easier weekend than Szolnok but would have definitely also felt the sore muscles of the 3 Champions League games ahead of the clash with FTC.
Both teams had the maximum score so far and were hoping to extend their run and maintain their position in the top of the ranking.
 


Eger was still without veteran Péter Biros and centre-forward Balázs Hárai who are both recovering from surgery, and attacking right hander Balázs Erdélyi who is suspended after his red card against UVSE. 
Szolnok, in full strength, went off to a flying start with goals of Zivko Gocic and captain Dániel Varga.
The offence of the home side was struggling to create space for a shot as Szolnok’s defence was well organised. Through Norbert Madaras the visitors then extended their lead to 3 while Eger continued to look lost without starters Biros, Hárai, and Erdélyi. Especially captain Péter Biros was sorely missed in the organisation of both offence and defence. Whenever Eger did manage to get a shot off Szolnok goalie Attila Decker, who was keeping colleague/rival Viktor Nagy on the bench, looked sharp.
The home crowd finally had reason to cheer when a rare mistake in Szolnok’s organisation led to a 2-on-1 situation for Gergő Zalánki and Milos Cuk. The pair of Eger players played it out well and Cuk put the first Eger goal on the board to make it 1-4. However, quickly following the Eger goal, Gábor Kiss was fouled in goal scoring position and Serbian penalty specialist Milan Aleksic reinstated the 4-goal lead seconds to half time. 

After the break both teams scored a penalty, Dénes Varga for Szolnok and Milos Cuk for Eger, and the contest looked more even going forward. “Even” was not enough for Eger though who still had to overcome a 3 goal difference going into the final period.
The game then took a dramatic twist as Zivko Gocic received a red card for rough play against Eger’s Bálint Lőrincz and Szolnok had to play the next 4 minutes with 1 player less.
Because Milos Cuk scored his 3rd penalty of the match, the difference was back on 2 and Eger’s perspective suddenly looked much more positive. On the next attack “victim” Lőrincz made it 7-8 and Eger continued the hunt for the equaliser. Boris Vapenski completed the chase with his 3rd goal of the night and with 2 minutes left on the clock, the teams were levelled again! However, with Szolnok back to 6 outfield players the visitors once again took the lead through Stefan Mitrovic scoring a deflected shot on man-up from his familiar left side of the pitch. In the dying seconds of the game at 9-10 score, the final shot of the game (from Márton Szivos) was saved by Attila Decker and, despite the red card for Gocic, Szolnok managed to continue their unbeaten run. The defeat means that Eger is already 5 points behind their main rivals after only 3 rounds. 

“We tried changing our offensive tactics, but the gap was too big. We had some confusion in defense as well. Szolnok is a very strong team and they take advantage of such situations. I am not disappointed because my team fought back hard. However, Szolnok was better today and deserves congratulations.”  (Norbert Dabrowski – Eger Head Coach)

“We need to play this aggressive and it helps if our keeper is having a good game. I am happy that we have won and this game showed exactly what we can expect from Eger vs Szolnok games this season. It was a hard game although we were leading comfortably until the 4th period. I do not understand why we received the 4 minute penalty, but it is good we managed to win after all.” (Sándor Cseh – Szolnok Head Coach)

“Until the red card for Gocic, we had the game won. I know my team-mate and he would never intentionally hit someone. I do not understand the referee’s decision. It had a major influence on the game and allowed Eger to come really close. Luckily Mitrovic scored and we were also a bit lucky in the end. I am happy with the 3 points. It will be tough to beat Eger when they are on full strength. Congratulations to the rest of our team, we did it together.” (Attila Decker – Szolnok goalie)

So early in the season it is evident that Szolnok and OSC are clear about their ambitions.
OSC won their equalising game against FTC with 7-13 to join Szolnok at the top of the table.
The match-up was balanced with both teams finding the back of the net, until a 6-6 score early in the 3rd period. OSC then produced a streak of 7 consecutive goals to break FTC’s resistance and make it look easy in the end. 

The two leaders are looking comfortable although Szolnok appears to be in better form right now. Faith has also linked the two powerhouses in the final Champions League qualification play-off where only the winner will advance to the final 12 group stage.
In a contest over 2 games (home/away) we will see who the strongest team in the country is at this moment.

“On paper, this is the worst draw for us. For Szolnok it’s probably the best outcome but we will give it our all. Szolnok is a different team than last season but we will watch their game against Eger and will just have to focus on our own game. If Radnicki can beat Szolnok, then we can do it as well. Much will depend on the form at that moment and a bit of luck.” - source vlv.hu (Adam Decker – OSC Captain).

“After our loss against Radnicki we could only draw a strong opponent. It did not matter who we would have to play, it would be a difficult match up. OSC is in very good form at the moment and they are a difficult team to play against. However, I am certain the strongest team will advance and hopefully that will be us.” - source vlv.hu (Dániel Varga – Szolnok Captain).

Round 3 results

Home
Visitors
Final Score
BVSC
Szentes
POSTPONED
Szeged
UVSE
16-10
DVSE
PVSK
6-8
Honvéd
Vasas
12-6
KSI
Kaposvár
7-10
Eger
Szolnok
9-10
FTC
OSC
7-13

League standings

Team
Games
Win
Draw
Loss
Points
GD
Szolnok
3
2
0
0
9
+20
OSC
3
3
0
0
9
+10
Szeged
3
2
0
1
6
+9
Honvéd
3
2
0
1
6
+7
Eger
3
1
1
1
4
+4
Kaposvár
3
2
0
1
6
-1
FTC
3
2
0
1
6
-2
PVSK
3
1
1
1
4
-2
DVSE
3
1
0
2
3
-2
Vasas
3
1
0
2
3
-16
KSI
3
0
1
2
1
-5
UVSE
3
0
1
2
1
-7
BVSC
2
0
0
2
0
-4
Szentes
2
0
0
2
0
-11

Top scorers

Name Player
Club
Games Played
Goals/Shots
Shot percentage
Lukas Seman
Szeged
3
8/8
100%
Csaba Kiss
Szeged
3
8/16
50%
Erik Bundschuh
OSC
3
7/10
70%
László Hangody
KSI
2
7/11
64%
Márton Halek
DVSE
3
7/12
58%

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