Over the past four years, our women’s handball team met arch-rivals Győri Audi ETO KC in the Hungarian Cup final each time — and won all four encounters to become record holders in the competition. In 2026, however, the two sides were drawn against each other already in the semi-finals — a new situation, but one that did not change our objective.

We arrived in Tatabánya aiming to defend our title once again, fully aware that we were facing arguably the best team in the world. Producing something special was essential — just like in previous finals or in the league clash in March, where we earned a draw despite a similarly thin squad.

Blanka Böde-Bíró opened the match with a save, but after our first goal, Győr took control and dictated the game throughout the first half. We struggled offensively early on, turning the ball over too often, forcing passes to the line without proper build-up, while our backcourt players lacked confidence. This also made things difficult in defence. We trailed by two or three goals, and while that margin still felt manageable, improvement was needed to prevent it from growing.

Both coaches rotated their squads frequently, clearly mindful of conserving energy for the closing stages and for Sunday’s medal matches. Once again, Petra Simon carried a heavy load, taking numerous hits from the Győr defence — some of which we felt could have been penalised. Led by our playmaker, we first kept pace, then began to close the gap, and by the 25th minute we had the chance to equalise. We could not convert, but we remained in the game, and just before halftime we again had possession while trailing by one. The attack hit the post, and Győr were awarded a penalty right before the buzzer, extending their lead to 17–15.

Based on the overall flow, there was no reason for major concern, but the closing minute of the first half was frustrating — especially given what followed. We had the first possession after the break but wasted it, then rushed our decisions, which Győr punished immediately with fast breaks, going on a six-goal run. Within five minutes, a tight contest turned into an eight-goal deficit, putting us in an almost impossible position.

We tried to fight back, but could only reduce the gap slightly. Too many missed chances against Szemerey prevented us from making it close again. In the end, we lost the semi-final in a manner very similar to the Champions League quarter-final against Metz: after one poor spell, we were unable to recover.

After lifting the Hungarian Cup four times in a row, a fifth title will not come this year — instead, we will play for the bronze medal on Sunday.

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