For our record-breaking Hungarian men’s soccer team, this year’s Europa League qualifying campaign continued Thursday evening on the field at Arena Zabrze. Ferencváros was the visiting team against Polish league runner-up Górnik Zabrze in the second leg of the third round of the Europa League qualifiers, which followed Fradi’s 1-0 victory in Budapest.

Our head coach, Balázs Borbély, made just one change to last week’s starting lineup: Philippe Rommens, returning from suspension, replaced Jonathan Levi in midfield. Here’s how FTC started in Poland:

Dibusz – Osváth, Gómez, Raemaekers, Cadu – Corbu, Kanikovszki, Rommens – Zachariassen, Joseph, Yusuf.

First Half

The match began under sunny skies, but thanks to the stadium’s roof, the field was shaded—the temperature at kickoff was 25 degrees, which, combined with a gentle breeze, made for ideal soccer weather. The home team signaled their intent to quickly make up for their deficit in the 2nd minute with a header by Erik Prekop that missed the goal. The tension caused by the high stakes was palpable; in the 7th minute, Josema and Lenny Joseph clashed, and shortly thereafter, the Poles fouled Yusuf Bamidele just a few meters from the penalty area. Rommens took the resulting free kick on goal, forcing Philipp Schulze to make a spectacular save.

Górnik continued to press forward. In the 16th minute, Maksym Khlan shot wide, and four minutes later, Josema took a shot—Dénes Dibusz was on the ball both times but didn’t have to make a save. Fradi also had their chances; shortly afterward, Yusuf took a shot at the goal but hit the side netting.

Halfway through the half, Attila Osváth received a yellow card for pulling back an opponent. Górnik’s momentum didn’t wane; in the 37th minute, for example, Prekop took a shot on goal, but Dibusz made a spectacular and crucial save. Our team captain did the same a minute before the end of regulation time, when he punched the ball away just as it was heading under the crossbar following a cross. Following the ensuing corner kick, Rommens fouled Paulo Bernardo inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to award a penalty kick to Górnik. Kacper Urbanski converted it, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

Second Half

Neither coach made any substitutions at halftime, and Górnik continued to press forward: in the 48th minute, our goalkeeper blocked Erik Janza’s shot with his foot. We barely had any possession during this stretch of the match, so Balázs Borbély decided to make some changes: Rommens and Gavriel Kanikovszki left the field, replaced by Ádám Nagy and Naby Keita. Callum O’Dowda also came on late in the game, replacing Yusuf. After that substitution, Lenny Joseph took a shot at the goal from 25 meters out but missed.

In the 78th minute, the visiting section erupted in celebration when Joseph scored off a cross from Cadu, but the referee disallowed the goal, leaving the score at 1-0.

In the 82nd minute, however, nothing could save Górnik: After a corner kick taken by Cadu from the left, Zachariassen slid in to meet the ball; Schulze made a brilliant save, but Sácek made such an unfortunate touch on the rebound that the ball bounced off the Czech defender and into his own net (1–1)!

In the final minutes, we were pinned back in front of our own goal, but either the defense cleared the ball or Dénes Dibusz made a save, while we nearly took the lead through Zachariassen, but the crossbar came to the Poles’ rescue.

Our team’s next match will be on Monday, August 17, as we visit ZTE FC in the 4th round of the OTP Bank Liga.