After three rounds, three wins and as the only team with a perfect record, we went into Round 4 of the Merkantil Bank Liga top of the table, travelling to face Ajka. The Bakony side had collected four points from the previous three rounds for a 50 per cent record; after slipping up against BVSC-Zugló in the opening round, the green-and-whites drew with Videoton and then took all three points from Budafok.
Apart from Branko Pauljevic, who was injured in the previous round, Tamás Feczkó could essentially call on the same players as a week earlier at Szentlőrinc, so he made just one change to his starting line-up, bringing in Kállai, who came off the bench at Szentlőrinc and provided an assist. András Horváth also made one change to his side compared with their previous home league match: somewhat surprisingly, prolific summer signing Krisztián Kirchner was left out.
We had to wait until the fifth minute for the first serious chance, when Zuigeber played Szamosi through, but Szabados got down to his shot aimed at the near post. In the 10th minute, after a counterattack, our 18-year-old midfielder tried again, and a few moments later Pinte also attempted to beat the home goalkeeper, but there was no goal. In the 14th minute Csontos played a perfect ball to Zuigeber, who shot from a tight angle from around eight metres, but his effort went wide of the right post. In the 25th minute Medgyes tried his luck, but his shot died in Szabados's hands; three minutes later the same two were protagonists again, this time forcing Szabados into action. In the 30th minute Tujvel tipped Herjeczki's thunderbolt out from under the crossbar, then after the corner Mészáros was left completely unmarked in front of goal but missed a gilt-edged chance. In the 32nd minute Hangya crossed for Zuigeber to head, missing by only centimetres. After 35 minutes, Csontos's excellent vision released Zuigeber for a long-range shot that made Szabados stretch, and Hangya fired the rebound over the bar.
Then, in the 37th minute, the Bakony side won a free kick. After the scramble our defenders failed to clear, and the ball fell to Kirchner, who smashed an unstoppable shot into the top-left corner (1–0). After the restart, we created the first chance in the 50th minute, Medgyes's shot ending up in Szabados's hands. In the 53rd minute only fine margins prevented the hosts from doubling their lead after a counterattack. First Hangya stayed down in questionable circumstances, then from the break Kirchner put Katona through one-on-one, but he shot at Tujvel. After an hour, Kállai beat his defender to Csontos's cross but could no longer direct the ball, which flashed centimetres wide of the right post.
In the 71st minute Pinte created a chance brilliantly for himself, but his shot struck the left post. The pressure kept growing; after an excellent cross-field pass from Zuigber, Hangya fired and Szabados saved. In the closing stages the pitch was effectively tilted one way, with Tamás Feczkó's side creating chance after chance, but no further goal was scored.
MERKANTIL BANK LIGA 2025/26, ROUND 4
FC Ajka–BUDAPEST HONVÉD FC 1–0 (1–0)
Ajka, Ajkai Városi Sportcentrum, 1,500 spectators. Referee: Gábor Iványi (Viktor Nagy, Gábor Máyer)
HONVÉD: Tujvel – Kállai (Kesztyűs, 83.), Szabó A., Baki, Csontos, Hangya – Szamosi Á. (Simon, 73.) Somogyi Á. (Csonka, 83.) – Zuigeber (Szabó Á., 83.), Pinte (Ihrig-Farkas, 73.), Medgyes. Head coach: Tamás Feczkó
Ajka: Szabados I. – Kovács N., Mészáros B., Tar Zs., Garai – Doncsecz (Kenderes, 64.), Tóth G., Csizmadia Z. – Herjeczki K. (Jagodics, 82.), Rideg (Katona, 26.), Cipf (Kirchner, 26.) (Lakatos, 82.). Head coach: András Horváth
Goal: Kirchner (37.).
Sent off: Mészáros (68.)
Tamás Feczkó, head coach:
They say you cannot step into the same river twice. In the spring, the home side substituted their centre-forward in the 10th minute when he should have received a second yellow card; today they did so in the 26th. We did not have this many well-worked chances in the previous three matches combined. After the sending-off, the game became completely one-sided; from this many chances we should have scored two or three goals. Unfortunately, our finishing was dreadful today. We should have decided the match in the first twenty minutes, but the visitors passed the test of fighting spirit with flying colours. Congratulations to the home side!
