At the tournament we faced prestigious Central European club sides. Although the results varied, in terms of development and gaining experience it was an extremely valuable weekend.
Assessment by Gergely Fűzfa, head coach of the U14 team:
“We travelled to Nitra for our first international tournament of the season, where we were able to play against excellent teams in a superbly organised event. In the first match we faced an extremely direct and physical Belarusian side, Neman Grodno. We started badly, but managed to turn the game around and eventually deservedly won 3–1. In the second match, against Sigma Olomouc, we played one of the best games of the entire tournament. Both teams created a huge number of chances and it ended in a fair 2–2 draw. In our third group match, a place in the final was at stake against eventual winners Spartak Trnava. Our opponents fully deserved their victory, winning 6–3. In the fifth-place play-off against Czech side FC Zlín, we were already 3–0 up in the first half and created many more major chances after the break, but unfortunately could not convert them. By conceding two late goals we made an already won match exciting, but held on for the victory (3–2). We fully achieved the objectives we set for the tournament: every player received equal playing time, and we finished with the second-highest number of goals scored.”
Results of our matches:
1st group match
Budapest Honvéd FC – Neman Grodno 3–1
2nd group match
Budapest Honvéd FC – Sigma Olomouc 2–2
3rd group match
Budapest Honvéd FC – Spartak Trnava 3–6
Play-off for 5th place
Budapest Honvéd FC – FC Zlín 3–2
Final tournament standings
1. Spartak Trnava
2. Bohemians Praha
3. Wisla Kraków
4. Sigma Olomouc
5. Budapest Honvéd FC
6. FC Zlín
7. FC Nitra
8. Neman Grodno
Budapest Honvéd FC U16 – FC DAC/SVK 4-2
István Körtvélyesi: “The match started with difficulty because our own mistakes meant we fell behind early. After that, however, we managed to get ourselves organised and our play became increasingly deliberate. We applied the elements we had learned well and our finishing also improved. From then on we controlled the match throughout and ended our first practice game with a victory. Congratulations to the team on the win and the performance!”
Budapest Honvéd FC U17 – FC DAC/SVK 6-0
Viktor Petrók: “A lot of positives came through, but we still have room to improve. We played a useful match in which the opponent's proactive approach gave us the opportunity to reproduce under match conditions the elements we had practised during the week. It was pleasing to see many positives both in our high press and in playing out from the back. Our transitions after winning the ball were also effective, although of course we still have room to improve. Overall, it fully served its purpose as a first pre-season match.”
SK Sigma Olomouc/CZE - Budapest Honvéd FC U19 2-0
Márton Bogdánfi: “It was a useful match and we are on the right path. We faced a very physical and strong team who were extremely effective in duels and transitions. We countered that advantage well in the opening 30 minutes – our work without the ball was particularly effective and sufficiently aggressive. Thanks to our high press we won a huge number of balls in the attacking third and created several big chances. Unfortunately, none became goals because our concentration in front of goal was not yet sharp enough. There were mistakes in our play on the ball, which is natural at this stage of pre-season as we have not yet had enough time to practise. However, the intent was visible and we are moving in an encouraging direction. As the team began to tire physically, our opponents exploited it well. In the second half we made several defensive mistakes, allowing them to get in behind us repeatedly, and they took their chances. Overall, it was an extremely useful match: we gained valuable international experience and received a clear picture of where we still need to improve. The players stood up to the challenge fully – we are on the right path.”
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