A great experience and a wealth of lessons

Our age-group teams took part in prestigious tournaments over the past week, with the U17 side playing in Italy and the U14s in the Netherlands.

Márton Bogdánfi’s U17 team tested itself in three matches. First came the key group game against Monza, which, with only slight exaggeration, turned into a “war”, with four red cards shown during the match. The youngsters experienced first-hand what it means to perform under difficult circumstances. Our team eventually lost 1–0, which decided the question of qualification, but we then recorded two convincing victories in the remaining two matches and left the tournament on a winning note.

Márton Bogdánfi: “There is always a great deal to learn from an international tournament, and this one was no different. We experienced how difficult it is to succeed abroad and how many factors can influence a team’s success. The opening group match against Monza was a real war, marked by several injuries and sendings-off. It felt as though we had to fight against several different factors, and we were still too inexperienced for that. In the other two matches, where because of the format there was almost nothing at stake anymore, we encountered no such incidents, and while playing good football we managed to score 14 goals without conceding. We were able to discuss many things within the team while we were away and became more united, which I hope will last throughout the season. We wish Teó Balázs and Boti Schön a speedy recovery and look forward to having them back!“

The U14 team took part in the Greenport International Tournament, where the youngsters could compete in the company of major clubs. Among others, Chelsea, Anderlecht, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and PSV also took part. Tamás Szamosi’s side played nine matches over three days in the group stage and returned home with a great deal of valuable experience.

Ferenc Istók assistant coach: “Over the three days our players played nine 2x15-minute matches, seven in the group stage and two in the play-off stage. Every match was played at high intensity, and we could feel the physical and technical dominance of our opponents.  Every game was a very useful benchmark where we could see where our academy players currently stand compared with players from top clubs, and which abilities we need to place greater emphasis on during our development work. Every one of our players gave their maximum. Because of the repeated workload we tried to rotate the children, but even so several of them were exhausted by the end of the tournament. Every minute of the tournament was a great experience; the children learned a lot from these matches mentally, technically and tactically. The tournament gave us a great deal in both experiences and lessons, and it will remain a lifelong memory for everyone.“

U17, TORNEO NEREO ROCCO

Budapest Honvéd results
–Monza 0–1
–Sangiovannese 5–0. Goals: Kovács E., Rankó, Kis A., Ujváry, Nyers
–San Donato Tavarnelle 9–0. Goals: Kis A. 3, Nyers 2, Russnák, Rankó, Kecskés, Komlósi

U14, GREENPORT INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Budapest Honvéd results
–Feyenoord 0–3
–Genk 0–2
–Borussia Dortmund 0–2
–Atlanta United 0–1
–Sparta Rotterdam 0–0
–Bröndby 1–1. Goal: Balázs P.
–PSV Eindhoven 0–1
–ADO Den Haag 1–0. Goal: Varga B.
–Gravenzande 1–1 – won shoot-out 5–4. Goal: Balázs P.

Honvéd squad: Balázs Péter, Bolyki Hunor, Doszpod Ádám, Fürjes Szabolcs, Hegedűs Dávid, Hubják Gergely, Józsa Roland, Komzsik András, Matyó Gergő, Pallos Artúr, Szijjártó Péter, Varga Botond, Kovács Noel, Török Zsolt, Cserkó Levente, Gerebenes Róbert, Palásti Krisztián, Krisztián Zsombor
Head coach: Tamás Szamosi. Assistant coach: Ferenc Istók. Goalkeeping coach: Csaba Horváth. Video analyst: Denton Koós

U12 FRIENDLY
Zbrojovka Brno–Budapest Honvéd FC 1–1

Goal: Pályka

Honvéd: Pándi – Krapfel, Babos, Izing, Berki, Horváth M., Pályka, Márta, Pál. Substitutes: Borsodi, Maráz, Dunai, Varga O., Sipos, Bódi-Szabó
Head coach: Richárd Takács

Richárd Takács: We played our highest-intensity and best-quality match of pre-season in Brno against a team with excellent individual ability that was also very organised and cultured in its team play. The match was evenly balanced throughout, chances were missed at both ends, and in the end it finished with a draw that can be considered fair. After the match we agreed with the opposition coaches that it would be worth playing each other again in the future, because matches like this truly serve the players’ development. We thank the children’s parents for once again accompanying the team in large numbers and supporting them in a sporting manner!