Richárd Takács's team continued their excellent run: after winning gold at the Jozef Kopejtka Memorial Tournament in Košice, they lifted the trophy at another prestigious international event. This time our U13 side represented the club in Slovenia at the 24-team Adria Soccer Cup, whose field included historic clubs such as Juventus, Dinamo Zagreb, Sturm Graz and Crvena Zvezda. Alongside us, ETO, Kisvárda and Újpest represented Hungary.
The field was divided into four groups of six. Our academy players were drawn in Group C alongside SV Schwechat, Juventus, FC Blau-Weiß Linz, NK Aluminij and Club Calcio Academy. Our team advanced to the knockout stage as unbeaten group winners without conceding a goal. In the quarter-final they drew 0–0 with Serbian side Crvena Zvezda before winning the penalty shootout to reach the last four. In the semi-final, Vince Noel Gál's goal against the team from the banks of the Rába secured a place in the final, where after a 0–0 draw in normal time we beat Sturm Graz 3–2 on penalties.
Group matches:
SV Schwechat (AUT)–Budapest Honvéd FC 0–3
Goalscorers: Bence Márta (2), Béla Pályka
Juventus FC (ITA) –Budapest Honvéd FC 0–3
Goalscorers: Bence Márta (2), Bálint Baji
FC Blau-Weiß Linz (AUT)–Budapest Honvéd FC 0–0
NK Aluminij (SLO) –Budapest Honvéd FC 0–5
Goalscorers: Csanád Babos (2), Bálint Baji, Bence Márta, Vince Noel Gál
Club Calcio Academy (GER)–Budapest Honvéd FC 0–3
Goalscorers: Tibor Berki (2), Benjámin Pál
Quarter-final:
FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) –Budapest Honvéd FC 0–0
Budapest Honvéd FC advanced on penalties
Semi-final:
ETO FC Győr–Budapest Honvéd FC 0–1
Goalscorer: Vince Noel Gál
Final:
SK Sturm Graz/AUT – Budapest Honvéd FC 0–0 (2–3 on penalties)
List of participating players:
Csanád Babos, Tibor Berki, Bence Juhász, Bence Márta, Benjámin Pál, Ábel Tóbiás, Milán Walkó, Bálint Baji, Vince Noel Gál, Gergő Juhász, Flórián Németh, Béla Pályka, Csongor Várdai, Zalán Balla, Larion Jamrik, Dominik Krapfel, Zoltán Bánk Nyerge, Máté Pándi, Olivér Varga
Staff members:
- Richárd Takács
- Botond Kacsó
- Csaba Horváth
Richárd Takács, head coach:
“We spent three unforgettable days in Koper, where we took part in a high-quality international tournament in incredible conditions. The children and the staff had been looking forward to this event all year because we knew that, alongside many other strong teams, Juventus, Dinamo Zagreb, Sturm Graz and Crvena Zvezda would be there – clubs with strong youth systems that regularly achieve outstanding results in highly regarded international competitions. For several weeks the team had been in such a flow in training and matches that we were curious to see whether we could compete with these big-name opponents and show the qualities our players possess. We received the answer relatively quickly: just five seconds after kick-off in our first game we scored our first goal, setting the tone for the two days ahead. We finished our group with four wins and one draw and therefore took first place. The next day we won one of our three matches – the semi-final – and drew 0–0 twice, in the quarter-final and the final. Both were followed by penalty shootouts, and we came out on top in each. It gave the team extra motivation that unfortunately our player Dávid Izing could not be with us because of illness, so the boys fought for him as well. As I always emphasise when speaking about this team, we have players blessed with exceptional talent who form a fantastic community, and that was once again a key to the final success. I think this achievement clearly demonstrates the strength of our community, of which the parents are an indispensable part alongside the staff; once again they stood by the team throughout. I also believe it is important to mention Attila Vatai and Milán Kozma, who have done a tremendous amount for this age group over the years. Finally, I would like to thank the club for making our participation possible, especially Zoltán Csapkó, whose name, as a result of his work in recent years, is recognised in a uniquely positive way even at a highly regarded tournament featuring teams of this level.”
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