A crucial 'six-pointer' awaited our team, who travelled to Tatabánya in Round 17 of the Merkantil Bank Liga. The Komárom-Esztergom county side had collected only one point more than us in the league and had suffered a 2-0 defeat in Szeged in the opening round of the spring.
Tamás Feczkó made four changes to his starting line-up compared with last week's league match against Budafok: Tomás Tujvel, Ákos Baki, Bonifác Csonka and Sebestyén Ihrig-Farkas all came into the side.
The away section was practically full, but the superiority in the stands was not reflected on the pitch. In the opening twenty minutes Tujvel only had to save a Szegleti free-kick, and most of the play took place in our half. In the 23rd minute Csernik took a quick corner and, although Tujvel saved the first attempt, Jagodics volleyed the rebound into the bottom left corner to score his fourth goal of the season (1-0).
The team began to wake up after the goal. First Hangya and then Ihrig-Farkas had opportunities to score; the former slipped before shooting, while the home defenders managed to clear from in front of the latter.
In the 28th minute Baki headed against the post from Bévárdi's corner, and Bese would have had no chance of saving it. In the 37th minute Honvéd were able to launch a counter-attack: Ihrig-Farkas held the ball up and then found Bévárdi with a long cross-field pass. He first laid it off for Somogyi, whose shot was blocked by defenders scrambling to clear. After the ensuing scramble, however, the ball fell to Bévárdi again, and he turned it into Bese's net from close range (1-1).
In the 42nd minute another attack started with Ihrig-Farkas, who once again switched play superbly to Hangya. Our ten-time Hungary international defender put Medgyes through, and he made no mistake (1-2).
The second half could hardly have started better. In the 50th minute Somogyi, Pinte and Bévárdi combined down the right. The home defenders headed away Somogyi's cross, but Csontos fired from 25 metres into the top right corner (1-3). In the 71st minute Jelena flicked on Vass's corner and Tujvel had to produce a huge save. Then in the 77th minute, from Tujvel's goal kick, Pinte raced between the visibly unsettled home defenders before delicately lifting the ball over Bese and into the net (1-4).
In the 80th minute Medgyes came very close to a second goal, but Bese made a magnificent save to keep out his shot heading under the bar. Tamás Feczkó then made several substitutions, including sending on Ákos Szabó, who at the age of 17 made his first NB II appearance, but the score did not change.
MERKANTIL BANK LIGA, ROUND 17
Opus Tigáz Tatabánya–BUDAPEST HONVÉD FC 1–4 (1–2)
Grosics Gyula Stadion, 1500 spectators. Referee: Árpád Jakab (Gábor Máyer, Szabin Topálszki).
Budapest Honvéd: Tujvel – Szabó A., Baki, Csonka (Pekár 56.) – Bévárdi, Somogyi (Szamosi 69.), Csontos, Hangya (csk.) – Medgyes (Keresztes 82.), Ihrig-Farkas (Farkas 69.), Pinte (Szabó Á. 82.).
Head coach: Tamás Feczkó
Tatabánya: Bese – Buna (Vass 61.), Jagodics, Harsányi – Csernik, Szegleti (Árvai 70.), Derekas, Katona (Jelena 70.) – Eördögh (Vida 61.), Kiprich (Óvári 61.), Lapu.
Head coach: Gergely Gyürki
Goals: Jagodics (23.), and Bévárdi (37.), Harsányi (42. – own goal), Csontos (50.), Pinte (77.).
