Loki reached the final round of the 2022/23 Hungarian championship knowing that if they could win against Újpest at home in front of thousands of supporters and an incredible atmosphere, they would secure the bronze medal and return to the international stage after many years. The important clash was preceded by celebratory moments as Balázs Dzsudzsák, who was absent from the starting eleven due to a wrist fracture, received the Zilahi Award for the best player of the season for DVSC, while Debsport awarded Dorian Babunski for being the top scorer.

At the beginning of the match, the opponent’s goalkeeper saved Dusan Lagator’s slide, and then in the 12^th minute, Banai blocked Stefan Loncar’s shot. In the 15^th minute, Loki was awarded a free kick from 17 meters out but Ádám Bódi’s curling shot deflected off the defensive wall, after which the goalkeeper caught Kevin Varga’s second attempt. The pace was good, with both teams trying to press and attack each other.

In the second part of the first half, a fierce battle continued but then the goal came for Debrecen. In the 26^th minute, after János Ferenczi’s corner from the long side, Meldin Dreskovic headed the ball across the goal and Dusan Lagator, who made a run into the box, nodded it into the net from 6 meters out (1-0). So, the eagerly awaited lead was achieved, which our team managed to maintain until halftime. In fact, in the 39^th minute, Stefan Loncar almost doubled the lead but Banai saved it. It’s significant to note that the shots on target ratio in the first half was 7-0…

Márk Szécsi arrived for the second half, and in the 47^th minute, DVSC threatened with a shot from Ádám Bódi but the goalkeeper punched the ball away. The second Debrecen goal was brewing, but with only a one-goal lead, the team needed to stay focused. However, the second goal came soon enough! In the 53^rd minute, after a cross from the left side, Dorian Babunski headed towards goal, the goalkeeper of Újpest made a save but Christian Manrique made great use of the rebound (2-0).

In the 62^nd minute, Ádám Bódi narrowly missed again with a shot from 15 meters that just missed the bottom left corner. Loki played well and controlled the match, creating a great atmosphere in the stadium. In the final minutes, Alexandros Kyziridis and Antonio Mance came on as substitutes (followed by Balázs Dzsudzsák and Donát Bárány towards the end) and the audience celebrated the team.

The final minutes brought no more goals but DVSC confidently won against Újpest. The team earned the bronze medal and the right to participate in the Conference League. Great job guys!

OTP Bank Liga 33^rd round

DVSC-Újpest 2-0 (1-0).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 14 014 spectators. Referee: G. Bogár

DVSC: Megyeri – Kusnyír, Dreskovic, Romanchuk, Ferenczi – Lagator, Loncar (Dzsudzsák, 90.) – Varga K. (Szécsi, 46.), Manrique (Bárány, 90.), Bódi (Kyziridis, 80.) – Dorian Babunski (Mance, 80.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Újpest: Banai – Antzoulas, Diaby, Fehér Cs. (Kovács, 89.) – Pauljevic, Onovo, Boumal, Mörschel (Jevtovski, 57.), Antonov (Ambrose, 57.) – Goure (Simon, 57.), Csoboth. (Mucsányi, 77.) Head coach: Nebojsa Vignjevic.

Goal: Lagator (26.), Manrique (53.).

Yellow card: Kusnyír (56.), Lagator (86.), and Goure (18.), Pauljevic (20.), Diaby (73.).