Even a slightly longer international break than usual could not pass without a Honvéd match. As previously reported, because the Bozsik Aréna is being re-turfed and the academy's main training pitch is currently not suitable for hosting an NB I team's friendly match, the clash against Tiszakécske was held behind closed doors on another training pitch within the complex. We could not expect an easy fixture: on the one hand, our opponents have made a great start in NB II, currently sitting third in the table; on the other hand, our recent encounters with the blue-and-yellows have yielded little joy. Two of the last three meetings ended in draws, while the most recent one resulted in a victory for Tiszakécske. However, the main focus today was on practicing new tactical elements and giving players valuable minutes on the pitch, rather than the final scoreline.
Our head coach, Maurizio Jacobacci, tested several different setups in both defence and attack. New signing Alberto Marí made his debut in the starting lineup, though this did not mean Adi Alic was dropped—we started with two strikers today. In addition to them, our Italian-Swiss tactician also put his faith in István Pekár and Alex Szabó, among others.
We started the first fifteen minutes well in terms of gameplay: after a Zuigeber free kick, Boldor found an opening at the far post, but his shot flew well wide of the target. In the 11th minute, following a cross from Boldor, García headed towards goal, but Kiss was well-positioned. Just after the quarter-hour mark, a loose ball fell to Lucas, who unleashed a ferocious first-time strike into the bottom-left corner (0–1). The goal somewhat shook our side, and Hadzikic was forced to make two crucial saves shortly after. The second half of the opening period produced no further major chances, with midfield battles and firm tackles dominating the play. We made several substitutions at the break, though the changes took some time to produce clear-cut opportunities. On the hour mark, Tiszakécske made multiple changes, while for us, Tamás Somogyi and birthday boy Kevin Kántor came on to replace István Pekár and Adi Alic. Our first significant chance to equalize arrived in the 78th minute when Hangya stormed down the left flank and aimed for the far corner, with his effort missing the left post by mere inches. We ramped up the pressure on the visitors' goal in the closing stages: after a corner from Csontos, Baki headed over the crossbar. In the 84th minute, Safronov delivered into the box, and after a scramble, Tamás Somogyi fired a shot, but Bence Németh managed to parry it. Two minutes later, Zuigeber chased down a seemingly overhit ball and looked for Kántor, but a deflection saw the ball end up safely in Németh's hands. In the dying moments, we earned a free kick 30 metres from goal: Csontos picked out Baki at the far post, who nodded the ball back brilliantly for the oncoming Alex Szabó, but Németh pulled off another fine save.
Next up—in competitive action—we host Újpest on 11 October in Round 9 of the OTP Bank Liga. The derby kicks off at 16:45.
FRIENDLY MATCH
KISPEST–HONVÉD FC–Tiszakécskei LC 0–1 (0–1)
Honvéd Academy. Referee: Imre Kovács.
KISPEST–HONVÉD: Hadzikic – A. Szabó, Baki, Boldor (Safronov, at half-time), P. García (Hangya, at half-time) – Kállai (Pauljevic, at half-time), Pekár (T. Somogyi, 60'), Eddarraj, Zuigeber – Alic (Kántor, 60'), Marí (Csontos, at half-time). Head coach: Maurizio Jacobacci
Tiszakécske: Á. Kiss – Balla, Heil, Polgár, Éger – Szekér, J. Varga – Pataki, Lucas, Sós – Ramos. Head coach: Csaba Pintér. Substitutes: Bence Németh, E. Horváth, Wirth, Gyenes, Kócs-Washburn, Terbe, Visinka, Chukwuebuka, Usai.
Goalscorer: Lucas (16').
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