The end of February is a busy time for our defending champion men's soccer team, as Ferencváros is involved in the Hungarian Cup and the Europa League playoffs in addition to the league. As a bonus, we are playing three matches this week, with victory the goal in each one. In the 23rd round of the Fizz League, we were guests at MTK Budapest on Monday evening.

After the match against Ludogorec in Razgrad, Robbie Keane said there would be changes in the starting lineup, so the Irish coach sent Varga, Szalai, Gómez, Raemaekers, Osváth, Acolatse, Júlio Romao, Zachariassen, Corbu, Gruber, and Kovacevic onto the field for the 230th eternal derby.

First half

The weather was kind to the teams, and the green-and-white fans completely filled the visitors' section, which was not surprising, as our team had remained unbeaten in the last eight matches against the current hosts. In the first ten minutes, most of our chances came from the left wing, with MTK's defense unable to cope with Elton Acolatse's speed. However, the crosses were not accurate, so we were unable to get a shot off. After a quarter of an hour, the home team showed signs of life, with their corners posing plenty of danger. We had to wait until the 34th minute for the first goal, when Hegyi came out of his goal to meet a long ball, but Beriashvili headed the ball away from his teammate, leaving Franko Kovacevic with an open goal to score (0-1). This was our Croatian striker's third goal in the league, after ETO and Újpest. This goal gave our team a new boost, and we clearly took control of the match.

Second half

The second half started with a huge downpour, but it ended as quickly as it began. After a corner, the ball fell to Raemaekers, but his shot went wide. Gruber, however, found Acolatse, who, upon reaching the penalty area, curled the ball precisely into the far corner, past the helpless Hegyi (0-2). This was our winter signing's first goal for Ferencváros; until then, he had only excelled in assists.

Fresh players came on for both sides, with Yusuf and Madarász getting nearly half an hour of playing time for us. The latter quickly repaid the trust placed in him. Hegyi made a brilliant save from Gruber's shot, but our young midfielder converted the rebound (0-3).

In the last ten minutes, MTK attacked in an attempt to reduce the deficit, which gave the visitors a few more chances. Ádám Varga, who started today's match, was finally unable to avoid conceding a goal, with Jurek scoring a goal before the end of regular time (1-3).

Ferencváros will next host Ludogorec at home in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, February 26, at 6:45 p.m.