Our men’s soccer team, which is in the Europa League main draw, hosted DVSC on Saturday in the 9th round of the OTP Bank Liga at Groupama Arena. For the first competitive match following the international break, our head coach, Balázs Borbély, put his trust in the following starting lineup: Dibusz – O. Nagy, Raemaekers, Gómez, Cadu – Á. Nagy, Corbu – Yusuf, Zachariassen, Arzani – Bagi.

First Half

The first notable incident of the match was a yellow card, which Fradi’s Bamidele Yusuf received in the 5th minute for elbowing. Shortly afterward, the visitors had a chance, but Toon Raemaekers was able to clear the ball after a cross from Ákos Szendrei. Play subsequently took place mainly in the midfield, with no real scoring chances developing in front of either goal during the first twenty minutes.

While it couldn’t exactly be called a serious opportunity, in the 27th minute, Máriusz Corbu took a shot on goal, but his ball deflected off a teammate and went wide. In the 30th minute, Dénes Dibusz was forced to make a save on a close-range header by Blaz Boskovic following a corner kick. It later turned out that the header wouldn’t have counted anyway due to an offside call. A free kick taken from 23 meters out in the 40th minute looked more promising, but Daniel Arzani’s shot sailed over the crossbar. The 11,593 spectators in attendance saw no goals before halftime, and the teams went into the break with the score tied at 0-0.

Second Half

Neither coach made any substitutions during the brief halftime break, so the teams resumed play with the same lineups. Corbu immediately attempted a low shot from outside the box, but the DVSC goalkeeper made the save. The same thing happened in the 56th minute, when Arzani took a shot from inside the penalty area after a dribble. As it turned out, this was Arzani’s last touch of the ball on Saturday, as he was soon replaced by Krisztián Lisztes, and Ádám Bagi was replaced by Franko Kovacevic.

Before the end of the first hour, the visitors hit the post through Csanád Dénes. The warning was met with a quick response: after a save, Máriusz Corbu beat the DVSC goalkeeper in the 65th minute, giving Fradi a 1-0 lead. Prior to the goal, Olivér Nagy passed to Kristoffer Zachariassen, and the Norwegian let the ball run through, setting up Corbu for a shot from ten meters out.

Even behind, the visiting team didn’t give up; in the 70th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák curled a shot just wide of the goal from 17 meters, and shortly afterward, Csanád Dénes threatened from a similar distance. In the latter instance, Dénes Dibusz punched the ball away. In stoppage time, the DVSC goalkeeper also ventured forward on a corner kick, and as he positioned himself, the ball bounced off Krisztián Lisztes’s hand. Referee Balázs Berke reviewed the play on video and then awarded a penalty kick, which Dzsudzsák converted, setting the final score at 1–1.

The action continues on Thursday, October 15, when Viktoria Plzeň visits the Groupama Arena for Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League group stage.

Tickets for upcoming home games, as well as season tickets valid for our Europa League matches, are now available for purchase at meccsjegy.fradi.hu and in person at the Groupama Arena ticket offices (general hours: Mon–Fri: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Sat: 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., on match days until kickoff, Fri.: closed—except on match days)!