Our record-holding men’s soccer team is preparing for the new season in Fieberbrunn, Austria, from June 23 to July 2. An important milestone in their preseason training came on Sunday, as head coach Balázs Borbély’s team took the field for the first time in Austria. The opponent was FK Sabah, the Azerbaijani champion, and Coach Borbély fielded Fradi with the following lineup:

Dibusz – Osváth, Szalai, Gómez, O’Dowda – Keita, Corbu – Gruber, Zachariassen, Acolatse – Yusuf

The heat felt before the match gave way to windy, overcast, and rainy conditions by kickoff, and the temperature dropped by several degrees, making the weather more suitable for football. The teams had agreed in advance to play two 60-minute halves.

First Half

The first serious opportunity of the match fell to the Azerbaijanis: first, Máriusz Corbu cleared the ball, then Dénes Dibusz made a great save in the 8th minute after Sabah’s No. 88 fired off a powerful shot. Three minutes later, Isayev had a shot on goal, but by then our goalkeeper didn’t need to intervene.

Sabah continued to press in the ensuing minutes, but in the 18th minute, Ferencváros also had a chance: Kristoffer Zachariassen took a shot from 15 meters, but the goalkeeper made the save. The next opportunity resulted in a goal: after a cross from the wing by Elton Acolatse, Zsombor Gruber found the back of the net, giving Ferencváros a 1-0 lead. This all happened in the 20th minute.

Toward the end of the first half-hour, Corbu shot over the bar from 20 meters out, and Isayev shot wide. Sabah kept pressing forward and eventually scored a goal, but the referee disallowed it for offside. After that, Acolatse tried a header for us, and Dibusz was forced to make two big saves—the match was full of chances, and after the first hour - in this case, at halftime - FTC led 1-0. In the closing minutes, we were worried about Mariano Gómez, as he remained on the ground after a cross, but he was able to get back up shortly afterward.

Second Half

Balázs Borbély made some substitutions at the start of the second half. Here’s how the lineup changed:

Á. Varga – Cadu, Zohoré, Botka, O. Nagy – Rommens, Kanikovszki – Lisztes, Levi, Szevikjan – Kovacevic

Just three minutes after the restart, the net shook again when Gavriel Kanikovszki scored from close range against Sabah - but we didn’t double our lead, as this goal was also disallowed for offside. The momentum continued; in the 71st minute, Philippe Rommens took a shot from distance and was close to scoring, and shortly afterward, Franko Kovacevic was about to break through on goal, but his opponent tackled him. The latter incident occurred inside the penalty area, yet no penalty was awarded.

In the 81st minute, Sabah came close to equalizing through Mbina, but the Gabonese player’s shot missed our goal by centimeters. A refreshment break followed shortly after, during which Balázs Borbély made more substitutions, bringing on Daniel Arzani and Habib Maiga. The highlight of the 101st minute was a long-range shot by Edgar Szevikjan, but Sabah’s goalkeeper saved the rebound. Shortly after that, the ball struck the crossbar following an attempt by the Azerbaijanis.

In the final quarter-hour, Ádám Bagi, Zétény Varga, and Szilárd Szabó were also given the opportunity to play. Varga immediately tried a curling shot from outside the penalty area; he came very close to scoring. Arzani’s shot was saved by the Azerbaijani goalkeeper, and that missed opportunity came back to haunt us: in the 110th minute, Japhet Dungus scored from the edge of the box, tying the score at 1-1. Toward the end, Szilárd Szabó had several more chances, but first he fired into the side netting from a sharp angle, then hit the goalkeeper. The final score remained unchanged at 1–1.

Ferencváros will play its next friendly match on Wednesday, July 1, in Austria, when we'll face Qarabag. Don’t forget - you’ll be able to watch that friendly live on FradiMédia YouTube+!