OTP Bank Liga 2023/2024

OTP BANK LIGA ROUND 31.

Groupama Aréna

OTP BANK LIGA ROUND 32.

Nagyerdei Stadium

OTP BANK LIGA ROUND 33.

Pancho Aréna

3 goals and a saved penalty, but costly errors: Diósgyőr-DVSC 5-3

As expected, the teams went onto the pitch amid a fantastic atmosphere and supported by a lot of fans from Debrecen during the East Hungarian derby on Saturday evening. Loki could not count on Erik Kusnyir, Jorgo Pellumbi and Thor Úlfarsson, who were still on rehabilitation, as well as Meldin Dreskovic, who had a smaller injury. However, Brandon Domingues was back on track and he was among the starting XI, just like Oleksandr Romanchuk and Stefan Loncar this time.

The match started poorly for DVSC as the home team took the lead already in the 1st minute. After a right-sided cross, Klimovic headed the ball into the right corner from 10 meters (1-0). In the 6th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák tried to answer with a free-kick from 24 meters, but Odincov saved the ball at the bottom left corner. The pace was vivid, Loki tried to react on the early goal, but had to be cautious with the attacks of Diósgyőr.

There were a lot of inaccuracies and mistakes in our play and we conceded one more goal in the 22nd minute. Oleksandr Romanchuk fell, so Edomwonyi easily headed the ball into the goal from 12 meters over Balázs Megyeri, who was standing out of the goal. The situation became even more tragical in the 29th minute, when János Ferenczi fouled Pozeg Vancas within the box. Pernambuco shot the penalty, but Balázs Megyeri made a brilliant save and he even denied Lund’s second attempt.

This could really empower DVSC and our team pulled one back before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Stefan Loncar made a through pass to Botond Vajda, who made a cross, the ball bounced off a defender and Nimród Baranyai shot the ball into the bottom right corner from 10 meters (2-1). It was the first goal of Baranyai in NB I.

Hamzat Ojediran came on for the second half, and Loki tried everything to equalize. The equalizer came in the 48th minute! Balázs Dzsudzsák shot from 20 meters, the ball bounced off the home goalkeeper, and the arriving Donát Bárány converted the rebound (2-2). It was the start of a new match, full of excitement and duels.

At that time, our team played in superiority, but surprisingly, it was Diósgyőr that scored. In the 60th minute, after a defensive blunder, Edomwonyi curled the ball into the top right corner of the goal from close range (3-2). Moreover, in the 67th minute, with our team merely observing, the newly-substituted Gera also scored from a few meters, leaving no chance for earning any points (4-2). Márk Szécsi and Soma Szuhodovszki came off the bench for the final minutes (then, Ádám Bódi and Tamás Batai also came for the endgame). Odincov saved Márk Szécsi’s shot too.

Loki kept trying until the final minutes, and in the 83rd minute, our team managed to score again. Hamzat Ojediran smartly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner from 13 meters, following a nice setup by Donát Bárány (4-3). However, in stoppage time, Fekete scored from a counterattack (5-3), and thus, the defeat couldn’t be avoided. We will continue the championship against Újpest next Saturday at Nagyerdei Stadium.


According to the coach

Vladimir Radenkovic: We made this match dramatic after 2-0 and the missed penalty, but our mentality was good. I saw the team that I started to work with at the beginning.

Srdjan Blagojevic: Congratulations to Diósgyőr. It was a crazy match, I felt like sitting on a rollercoaster. We conceded a very early goal and had no energy in defence. Then came the second goal and the penalty, but Megyeri’s save brought change and we could score after that. At the beginning of the second half, we could equalize and it looked like we could change the match, but we conceded one more goal. On this level, we cannot allow ourselves to make so many mistakes, but I take responsibility for my choices. It’s hard to analyse now, this is a painful defeat, but we have only one day to be sad, after that we have to pull ourselves together and finish the season.

OTP Bank League, round 29.

Diósgyőr-DVSC 5-3 (2-1).

Diósgyőr, 6005 spectators. Referee: Bogár G.

DVTK: Odincov – Bokros, Csorbadzsijszki, Lund, Stephen – Bényei Á. (Gera, 66.), Klimovich (Holdampf, 66.), Vallejo – Pernambuco (Feuillassier, 46.), Edomwonyi (Fekete, 77.), Pozeg Vancas (Szabó L., 86.). Head coach: Vladimir Radenkovic.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai, Lagator, Romanchuk (Batai, 91.), Ferenczi – Manrique (Ojediran, 46.), Loncar (Szuhodovszki, 69.) – Vajda (Szécsi, 69.), Dzsudzsák, Domingues (Bódi, 86.) – Bárány. Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Goal: Klimovich (1.), Edomwonyi (22., 60.), Gera (67.), Fekete (94.) as well as Baranyai (42.), Bárány (48.), Ojediran (83.).

Yellow card: Ferenczi (29.), Dzsudzsák (64.).