Chelsea, Dortmund and Nottingham Forest youngsters all beaten by the boys from Kispest

Our U14s headed this time to the Netherlands, more precisely to ‘s-Gravenzande, where they proved at the Greenport youth tournament – featuring the cream of the international field – that they can compete with the very best. The sixteen teams were divided into two groups of eight, meaning our players tested themselves against Anderlecht, Aberdeen FC, Nottingham Forest, Stade Brestois, PSV, Sparta Rotterdam and hosts ’s-Gravenzande.

Our academy players faced their eventual final opponents Anderlecht in their very first match and drew 1–1 with the Belgian side. We then played a 2–2 draw against PSV, before beating the youth team of Premier League club Nottingham Forest by two goals. Our players completed the group stage unbeaten, with five wins and two draws, and advanced to the last four.

Richárd Takács's players recorded a convincing 3–0 victory over Club Brugge in the semi-final, before beating Anderlecht on penalties after a goalless final. In doing so, they won the sixteen-team tournament ahead of Chelsea, defending champions PSV, Dortmund, Nottingham Forest and AZ Alkmaar. Alongside the team success, we could also celebrate an individual award, as our academy player Ábel Tóbiás was named the tournament's best goalkeeper.

The standings: 

1. Kispest–Honvéd FC
2. RSC Anderlecht
3. Club Brugge
4. Chelsea FC
5. Aberdeen FC
6. PSV
7. Atlanta United FC
8. FC Utrecht
9. FC s’-Gravenzande
10. Brondby IF
11. AZ Alkmaar
12. Sparta Rotterdam
13. Hammarby IF
14. Stade Brestois 29
15. Nottingham Forest FC
16. Borussia Dortmund

Results: 

Kispest-Honvéd FC–RSC Anderlecht /BEL 1–1
Goalscorer: Márta.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–Aberdeen FC /SCO 1–0
Goalscorer: Várdai.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–Nottingham Forest FC /ENG 2–0
Goalscorers: Szilágyi, Babos.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–Stade Brestois 29 /FRA 2–0
Goalscorers: Baji, Szilágyi.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–PSV /NED 2–2
Goalscorers: Balla, Szilágyi.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–Sparta Rotterdam /NED 2–0
Goalscorers: Márta, Gál

Kispest-Honvéd FC–FC 's-Gravenzande /NED 3–0
Goalscorers: Baji, Babos, Szilágyi.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–Club Brugge /BEL 3–0
Goalscorers: Márta (2), Pályka.

Kispest-Honvéd FC–RSC Anderlecht /BEL 0–0 (pens: 6–5)

 List of participating players: Babos Csanád, Baji Bálint, Balla Zalán, Gál Vince Noel, Izing Dávid, Jamrik Larion, Juhász Gergő, Marsalla Norbert, Márta Bence, Németh Flórián János, Nyerges Zoltán Bánk, Pályka Béla Olivér, Pándi Máté, Szilágyi Áron, Tóbiás Ábel Marcell, Várdai Csongor, Varga Olivér, Walkó Milán.

Richárd Takács, head coach:

“We took part in a sixteen-team tournament in the Netherlands, with ten countries represented including us. We played seven group-stage matches, the first immediately against our eventual final opponents Anderlecht, and it was already clear then that we were facing opposition of a very high standard. Three teams were competing for the top two places that meant qualification for the last four. On the final day we played Brugge in the semi-final, where we reached the final in a relatively comfortable match in terms of the score, but one that was intense and of a high standard. In the final we met Anderlecht again and, after a tense 0–0 draw, we came off the pitch as winners following a dramatic penalty shootout that went to nine kicks. Before the final I told the players that although I already think very highly of them, every time they prove that there is even more in them. I only asked them to show once more, one last time, what they are capable of. From our experiences in previous years we knew this was a very high-level tournament with closely fought matches. That is precisely why even we did not expect a result like this: reaching the last four would already have been a major achievement, let alone the final. Then in the final it became clear that this team is made up of children with such a strong mentality and personalities that there was never any doubt, not even for a moment, that they would complete this challenge too. We are very proud of them week after week, and it is great to see how they continue to develop both individually and as a team. This success is down to exceptionally talented individuals forming an exceptional group.”