From September 1, Csaba Máté is going to be the head coach of DVSC. The 54-year-old professional, who was born in Szekszárd, played in teams, such as Tatabánya and the Belgian KV Kortrijk. He started his coaching career in Szekszárd. From 2008 to 2010, he was an assistant coach next to Erwin Koeman at the national team, then worked for Haladás and Paks, also as a caretaker manager in the latter one. From 2012 to 2023, he was a staff member at Ferencváros and worked together with coaches like Ricardo Moniz, Thomas Doll, Peter Stöger and Stanislav Cherchesov.
He has been appointed as a head coach on an interim basis several times and last year led the team to the group stage of the Conference League.
The new head coach of DVSC will be introduced during a press conference at the beginning of next week.
DVSC will host Zalaegerszeg at Nagyerdei Stadium, starting from 17.45 on Saturday. Tibor Dombi will lead the team in this match, so he gave an interview as the caretaker manager of Loki.
– The most important thing is to win on Saturday. After a managerial change, this is the best medication. We’ve been trying to shake up the guys up with fewer restrictions this week. We’ve had one-on-one conversations with several players, focusing on encouraging them to enjoy the game. I told them that they’re living the best time of their lives as long as they are actively playing, so they have to appreciate it every day. Two years ago, I already had to take charge of the team as the caretaker manager. Then, we won 1-0 against Fehérvár and now I would be again satisfied with such a result – said Tibor Dombi.
The Hungarian U21 national team will play an international preparation match and one European Championship qualifier at the beginning of September. The outstanding player of DVSC, Botond Vajda received a call-up to the national team as well as the talented Tamás Szűcs, who will be a backup player.
International preparation match 5 September 2024, 17:45 Hungary – Slovakia Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium
UEFA European Championship qualifier 10 September 2024, 17:45 Hungary-Spain Széktói Stadium, Kecskemét
As it is known, there was a managerial change in the football club of DVSC at the beginning of this week. After Srdjan Blagojevic’s departure, Tibor Dombi is going to lead the team during the match against ZTE. Our captain Balázs Dzsudzsák talked about the recent period.
“Unfortunately, we went through an eventful week. There is no good time for a managerial change, but after a basically good start of the season, our performance against Újpest culminated in something that cannot be accepted neither by the team nor the fans. Immediately after the final whistle, we had a straightforward conversation with the ultras, who asked for nothing more than a Debrecen that fights tooth and nail and does everything for success,” said Balázs Dzsudzsák, who also addressed the news that appeared in the press.
“Usually, both parties are to blame in case of a managerial change, so it was not the decision of Balázs Dzsudzsák. I don’t owe an explanation, but we are talking about a more than 120-year-old club, which deserves respect. Probably, this article was written by someone, who has never been to a Loki match and just wanted to kick the team that is already down. We have a serious club management that understands the weight of a such a decision. I could say somewhat cynically that I appreciate it that someone thinks I’m the one who decides about the coach, but it’s obviously not the case. I feel like I have done much more for Loki than to deserve such attacks. For nearly 14 years, almost always as a captain, I’ve always been trying to help all of the coaches for the sake of the team’s performance and success. The club also deserves respect and no one should start an avalanche like this.”
Finally, Balázs Dzsudzsák added that mentally the team is getting better from day to day.
“During the past two years, we’ve been practicing tactical elements that are hard to change now. Neither the players nor Tibi Dombi is in an easy situation, but I can feel that everyone wants to put aside our failure against Újpest. It has been mentioned a lot of times that our dressing room is strong and sticks together, so now we have to move a step forward and hold together even more. We are the only ones, who can solve this. We are working to ensure that the fans see a team on Saturday that gives it their all, fighting with complete humility and heart.”
The U19 national team of Hungary will play in a prestigious Serbian tournament, the Stevan Vilotic cup between September 2 and 10.
Two talented players of DVSC, namely Csaba Hornyák, who had already made his debut in the first division, and the goalkeeper Márk Engedi received a call-up to the national team.
A torna programja.
September 5, 2024 16:30 Serbia-Hungary Subotica, Serbia
September 7, 2024 16:30 Portugal-Hungary Zenta, Serbia
September 10, 2024 15:00 Hungary-Montenegro Backa Topola, Serbia
I’m extremely honoured to have had the opportunity to be part of the history of such a great club as DVSC. During the past two years, I have enjoyed every day that I spent in Debrecen, while being surrounded by great people. I am very proud of our common work with the players and the coaching staff and proud of what we have achieved since we have been here. We have come a long way since the arrival of this coaching staff. We reached distances, which may have seemed not achievable at the beginning. Loki has returned to the top of Hungarian football and I’m sure that the team will be at the top this year as well. Moreover, in some point in the future, the club can reach the heights at which it stood 15 years ago. They have a foundation for that: great players, fans and management. I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation and attitude towards me and my coaching staff. I’m grateful to every member of the staff and all the people working in the club as we have had some unforgettable moments together. Thanks to the club management for the opportunity to be part of the history of DVSC. I hope that with my work, attitude and behaviour, I have justified for their trust and contributed to raising the club to a higher level in a difficult period. Perhaps, certain time has to pass in order to see things more clearly and objectively. Thanks to the fans for supporting the team in the good and bad moments as well. Thanks to everyone, who supported us in this journey and recognized the effort and passion that we’ve put in our work. Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to the players, with whom we grew together, had a lot of joy and enjoyed every step on the way. I’m extremely proud of our work together! Thanks to the city of Debrecen for a pleasant life, which I will always remember. Hajrá, Loki!
DVSC terminated the contract of Srdjan Blagojevic by mutual consent. The 51-year-old coach and his staff members, including Dejan Fijala, Sasa Semeredi and Nikola Stankovic, took over Loki nearly two years ago, in September 2022. They led the team, which had been previously winless, until the podium, finishing in third place by the end of the season and securing a spot on the international stage. In season 2023/24, Loki maintained its position at the top of the table and finished in the fifth place.
During the Blagojevic era, DVSC achieved several remarkable results, including its first-ever victory at Groupama Arena, the home of Ferencváros as well as winning away against Újpest after a decade. Due to these achievements, Srdjan Blagojevic received the award for the best foreign coach working in Hungary on the Hungarian Golden Ball award ceremony in February.
We would like to thank Srdjan Blagojevic and his staff for their services to the club. We will never forget what they have done for our team. We wish them good luck in their future career!
On Saturday’s match against ZTE and during this week’s training sessions, Tibor Dombi will lead the team. He will be assisted in training by János Balogh, Zsolt Pallai and Csaba Madar, with professional support from András Herczeg and Bence Gulácsi.
On Friday evening, DVSC played at the home of Újpest, which has been thoroughly strengthened. Donát Bárány was out of the squad because of a minor injury, while Erik Kusnyir, Thor Úlfarsson and Neven Djurasek were still returning from their injuries. Jorgo Pellumbi could not play because of suspension, however, János Ferenczi was back on track. Among the starting XI were Victor Braga and Zhirayr Shaghoyan.
The match started with the attacks of Újpest, but Loki successfully fended them off, and for nearly a quarter of an hour, neither side created any chances. In the 14th minutes, Brodic shot from 18 meters, but he missed the target. In the 18th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák’s shot was blocked by the defenders of the home team. Újpest took the lead in the 20th minute: after a corner-kick variation, Bese, who was unattended, easily headed the ball into the goal from 5 meters (1-0).
Unfortunately, in the 29th minute, Újpest scored a second goal: following a quick attack, Ljujic shot from close-range after Mucsányi’s cross (2-0). Our team, which made many mistakes, found itself in a difficult situation and couldn’t improve the score by half-time, although in the 34th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák nearly scored with a header.
The second half started with Ferenczi’s shot, but it narrowly missed the goal. DVSC tried to be in superiority, but had to be cautious with the counter-attacks of the home team. However, in the 51st minute, Újpest was awarded a penalty as Victor Braga kicked Bese within the box. Brodic converted the penalty (3-0).
The three points seemed to be decided at this point, while Botond Vajda and Soma Szuhodovszki came onto the field, followed later by Márk Szécsi and Dominik Kocsis. Our team pushed for a consolation goal, but almost nothing went our way that evening. Both Brandon Domingues and Botond Vajda shot over the bar from promising positions, while Yacouba Silue and Meldin Dreskovic couldn’t aim accurately enough with their headers.
The score didn’t change in the final minutes, so our team suffered a defeat in the capital. The next match will be on Saturday against ZTE in Debrecen.
Reactions of the managers
Bartosz Grzelak: The first half was fantastic, I’m really satisfied with our performance, the mentality was great. In the second half, the match became a bit slower, but we still had our chances.
Srdjan Blagojevic: Újpest overplayed us in all aspects of the game. I will take the responsibility and I have to congratulate the home team on the victory. We have to analyse this game.
The 23-year-old Armenian winger of DVSC, Zhirayr Shaghoyan received a call-up to his home country’s national team. The Armenian national team will play UEFA Nations League matches against Latvia on September 7 in Yerevan and against North Macedonia on September 10 in Skopje. Zhirayr Shaghoyan has already made 13 appearances and scored 1 goal in the Armenian national team.
Alexandros Kyziridis leaves DVSC by mutual consent with the club. The 23-year-old Greek player arrived in Debrecen in the summer of 2022. Sincs then, he played in 28 league matches in the colours of Loki and scored 2 goals. We would like to thank Alexandros Kyziridis for his services at our club and wish him good luck!
The 26-year-old Montenegrin defender of DVSC, Meldin Dreskovic, has reached a milestone by making his 50th appearance in the Hungarian first division against Diósgyőr.
Meldin Dreskovic signed for Loki in May 2022. Since then, he scored 3 goals and gave 2 assists in the course of 50 matches. In fact, all of his goals proved to be match-winners as we won against Paks, Mezőkövesd and Fehérvár due to his goal.
Meldin Dreskovic is also a member of the Montenegrin national team, in which he has already made 3 appearances.
Congratulations to our player on the occasion of his 50th match in NB I!
On Saturday, DVSC played the third league match in the 4th round of the OTP Bank Liga season 2024/25 against Diósgyőr in a real football atmosphere at Nagyerdei Stadium. Several events preceded the match: after the successful Match Day Festival, the president Ike Thierry Zaengel, the managing director Balázs Makray and András Herczeg, the director of the Academy, handed over the medals to our youth teams. The U15 team became champions, while the U16, U17 and U19 teams were bronze medalists. The management of the club also greeted Balázs Megyeri on the occassion of his 50th appearance in the ranks of DVSC. The awarding ceremony was followed by a minute of silence, paying tribute to the memory of a Honvéd legend, Imre Komora, who passed away at the age of 85.
The technical staff of Loki could not count on János Ferenczi, who was suspended, as well as Erik Kusnyir, Thor Úlfarsson and Neven Djurasek, who were returning from their injuries. However, Bence Batik was ready to join the team on the bench. Among the starting XI were Soma Szuhodovszki, Tamás Szűcs, Dominik Kocsis and Yacouba Silue. Jorgo Pellumbi substituted János Ferenczi as a left-back.
At the beginning of the match, Loki was absolutely offensive and led dynamic attacks. In the 10th minute, Edomwonyi had a chance, but Balázs Megyeri confidently saved it. There was a good pace, but the first bigger chance came only in the 30th minute and DVTK took the lead. After a free-kick, Chorbadzhiyski arrived on the long side and shot the ball into the goal from close-range (0-1).
DVSC tried to increase the pressure until the break. In the 36th minute, Soma Szuhodovszki unleashed a powerful shot from a distance, but it went over the goal. Dominik Kocsis also shot wide off the goal. Moreover, the referee sent-off the pitch Jorgo Pellumbi with 2 yellow cards.
Thus, Loki started the second half with one man down and Victor Braga came on as a substitute. In the 48th minute, Yacouba Silue had a chance, but he could not score. Despite playing with 10 men, our players were dominating. Nevertheless, Gera hit the goalpost after a counter-attack. On the other side, Yacouba Silue hit the crossbar, so there were lots of excitements.
Despite being undermanned, our team played with huge dominance. Márk Szécsi entered the field, followed later by Zhirayr Shaghoyan and Botond Vajda. In the 79th minute, Tamás Szűcs’s shot narrowly missed the goal, and then the goalkeeper of Diósgyőr saved Silue’s backheel attempt. Unfortunately, we couldn’t equalize. The next match will be on Friday at the home of Újpest.
Reactions of the managers
Srdjan Blagojevic: It is hard to analyze the match not long after the final whistle and with a warm head. We are all sad because of the result, which was influenced by the circumstances. What concerns the game, I think we entered well, but the final passes were missing. Then, we conceded a goal after a set piece, but we were still stable. However, the red card changed everything and we needed a new game plan. We had a similar situation in Kecskemét, after which I praised the players because of their defence. Now, I praise them both for defense and offense. I think that no one could notice that we were playing with one man down. I’m satisfied with our performance and we were close to scoring. I feel sorry because the team didn’t get their reward.
Vladimir Radenkovic: It was a really tough match. We had only one point before this game and we played against a strong team. In fact, we were struggling with several problems. Considering all this, I’m satisfied with the team spirit and the result as well.
OTP Bank Liga, round 4.
DVSC-Diósgyőr 0-1 (0-1).
Nagyerdei Stadium, 7077 spectators. Referee: Erdős J.
