In the last league match before the national team break, DVSC hosted ZTE at Nagyerdei Stadium on Sunday at noon, celebrating the 122^nd birthday of the club this week. The technical staff could not count on the injured Erik Kusnyir, Jorgo Pellumbi, Thor Úlfarsson and Tamás Batai. Among the starting eleven were Hamzat Ojediran, Soma Szuhodovszki and Botond Vajda too.

The kick-off was performed by Radu Sabo, the former player and excellent striker of Loki. Radu Sabo, who is from Kolozsvár, played in 51 league matches between 1998 and 2000 in the ranks of Loki, scoring 17 goals. One of the most memorable games was the match against FTC in 1999, which ended in a 6-1 victory for Loki, with Radu performing a hat-trick. In fact, he played brilliantly against the German Wolfsburg in the UEFA Cup, scoring both of the goals in the 2-1 victory for Debrecen.

The game against ZTE started excellently for DVSC as our team took the lead already in the 4^th minute. After a corner-kick, the defenders saved Soma Szuhodovszki’s attempt right in front of the goal, but Hamzat Ojediran shot the ball into the goal from 11 meters (1-0). This was the first goal of our Nigerian player in the ranks of Loki. In the 10^th minute, Antonio Mance shot wide off the goal from long-range, but it was DVSC that dominated, our team was playing well.

The pace was very intense and the second Debrecen goal came in the 25^th minute. Botond Vajda was moving to the centre from the right side and curled the ball into the right corner of the goal from 18 meters, with Bárány Donát confusing the goalkeeper with his movement (2-0).

However, our team did not stop scoring goals. Loki doubled their advantage until the break. Botond Vajda was fouled by Csóka inside the box, and it was Balázs Dzsudzsák, who confidently converted the penalty in the 33^rd minute. After a corner in the 38^th minute, Dusan Lagator made a header and Donát Bárány, our homegrown striker, nodded the ball into the goal from close-range (4-0). Our team deservedly marched off to the break amidst loud applause.

ZTE made three substitutions for the second half and pulled one back in the 48^th minute as Németh curled the ball into the bottom left corner from close-range after Sajbán’s cross (4-1). Not long after, Dombó saved Balázs Dzsudzsák’s shot. The guests tried to decrease the goal difference. Meanwhile, Stefan Loncar and Ádám Bódi came off the bench thirty minutes before the end (then Dominik Kocsis and Máté Tuboly also came on as well as the 17-year-old Csaba Hornyák, who made his debut in the first division).

In the 71^st minute, DVSC scored a beautiful goal. Balázs Dzsudzsák made a nice pass to Ádám Bódi, who took the ball and passed to János Ferenczi. Our left-back made a precise cross to the centre, and the arriving Donát Bárány shot the ball into the net from a few meters (5-1). There could have been more goals in the final minutes (our team even hit the post), but the score remained 5-1. It was a convincing and beautiful victory.

We will continue after the national team break, playing against Kisvárda in two weeks.

According to the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: I would like to praise the players, this 5-1 victory is the biggest one since I’m working in Hungary. The aim of DVSC is to play on the international stage but it is not easy as there is no big difference between the teams in Hungary. We have 36 points, 8 rounds are left until the end, so now we are safe and our goal is to finish in a higher position. It is easy and comfortable to play when the team is leading 4-0 by halftime. It’s good to be a fan of Debrecen in these cases but I would to ask for support during the difficult moments too. I’m proud that a lot of young Hungarian players are playing in our team, we have fulfilled the young minutes and today the 17-year-old Csaba Hornyák made his debut in the first division.

Gábor Márton: We didn’t start the match badly, we had our chances, but we conceded the goal from what we were prepared for, and then they finished us off. After the break, we tried to improve, but it didn’t work out this time. It happens, but we didn’t prepare for this kind of match.

OTP Bank Liga, round 25.

DVSC-ZTE 5-1 (4-0).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 4002 spectators. Referee: Antal P.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai, Dreskovic, Lagator, Ferenczi (Hornyák, 85.) – Ojediran, Szuhodovszki (Loncar, 61.) – Vajda (Kocsis, 74.) , Dzsudzsák (Tuboly, 74.), Domingues (Bódi, 61.) – Bárány. Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

ZTE: Dombó – Várkony (Meshack, 46., Lesjak, 85.)), Evangelou, Csóka D. – Szendrei N., Bedi, Hadida (Sajbán, 46.), Sankovic (Kovács B., 81.), Mim – Gruber (Németh D., 46.), Mance. Head coach: Márton Gábor.

Goal: Ojediran (4.), Vajda (25.), Dzsudzsák (33., from penalty), Bárány (38., 71.) as well as Németh D. (48.).

Yellow card: Dreskovic (62.) as well as Mance (87.).

On March 17, Loki will play a home match against Zalaegerszeg, starting from 12:30. On the occasion of the 122^nd birthday of our club, we are organizing a family day from 10 am at Nagyerdei Stadium. All are welcome!

Our club aims to make the match enjoyable for our supporters. The stadium opens at 11.30 am. However, from 10 am, there will be a fan zone at Red&White, where supporters can taste the special birthday cake of Loki. During halftime, we’ll activate the T-shirt gun again, this time giving away unique DVSC birthday T-shirts to the lucky ones. We’ll also organize a crossbar kicking competition during halftime.

Travelling is free on the routes of DKV for those who have a valid match ticket or pass for up to 3 hours before the start and after the end of the match (from 9.30 am to 15.30 pm).

Our VIP guests, in addition to the usual services, can expect an on-site live discussion with the former Loki star, Radu Sobó. The stadium ticket offices and the DVSC Shop will open at 10 am on Saturday. Everyone to the stadium!

In the upcoming period, the U21 national team will play one international preparation match and a European Championship qualifier. The new coach of the team, Zoltán Szélesi counts on the homegrown player of DVSC, Nimród Baranyai, while Botond Vajda and Dominik Kocsis are backup players.

Our club celebrates its 122nd birthday today. Let’s take a moment on this day to remember the great people and rejoice in the fact that amidst great changes, there are things that endure. Happy birthday to DVSC!

On Sunday, Loki started the away game against Paks, the leader of the table, without the injured Erik Kusnyir, Thor Úlfarsson, Jorgo Pellumbi and Tamás Batai. Among the starting eleven were Oleksandr Romanchuk, Botond Vajda, and our team tried to compete with the opponent that has been surprisingly successful lately.

The match started with a great pace and a Loki goal! In the 2^nd minute, the goalkeeper of Paks saved Manrique’s shot, however, in the 3^rd minute, János Ferenczi made a great pass to Balázs Dzsudzsák, who shot the ball into the left corner of the goal from 12 meters (0-1). It was a good start. Paks tried to put pressure on our team, but we stood firm against the home attacks, playing in a motivated and organized way.

In the 20^th minute, Balázs Megyeri made a brilliant save to deny the long-range shot of Kinyik, then came a period without bigger chances. During the final minutes of the first half, midfield play dominated, our team controlled the game but the score stayed the same until the halftime.

At the beginning of the second half, Paks made a substitution and Dániel Böde came on. Our opponent increased the pace and in the 48^th minute, Dreskovic saved the ball from the goal line after Böde’s header. Not long after, Böde missed a one-on-one opportunity, DVSC experienced some difficult moments as Balázs Megyeri had to save the close-range shot of Kovács too.

Márk Szécsi came off the bench for the last 30 minutes (Hamzat Ojediran, Ádám Bódi, Soma Szuhodovszki and Stefan Loncar also came on for the endgame). After a corner of Debrecen, János Ferenczi shot over the goal, and the play obviously became more equal. In the 69^th minute, Oleksandr Romanchuk headed over the goal, the game was full of excitements.

In the endgame, Böde had another huge chance but Balázs Megyeri made a save, then Kevin Horváth shot over the goal after a free-kick. In the 84^th minute, Paks equalized: after a right-sided cross, Papp put the ball into the bottom left corner from close range (1-1). There were plenty of thrills even in the last seconds (in extra time, Márk Szécsi missed a clear-cut chance by shooting over the bar, then he curled the ball wide off the goal). Thus, the match ended in a hard-fought draw.

We will continue next week against ZTE at Nagyerdei Stadium.

According to the coach

György Bognár: I’m satisfied with the team’s play, we played with a great attitude. DVSC is a good team, they had dangerous counter-attacks, however, they “cheated” minimum half an hour of the match. The draw is realistic, it could have been even 3-3.

Srdjan Blagojevic: It was a really demanding and difficult match, there was a big pressure on us. Paks is leading the table not by accident; it was tough to playing against them, especially on this pitch, which does not help our play. We had to adapt to this. There were a lot of duels, crosses, an early goal, then Paks equalized with a last-gasp goal. It’s still better to get one point than zero. Either team could have won. We have to stay humble and continue to work.

OTP Bank Liga, round 24.

Paks-DVSC 1-1 (0-1).

Paks, 2489 spectators. Referee: Bognár T.

Paks: Simon B. – Kinyik, Lenzsér, Szabó J. – Kovács K. (Szélpál, 84.), Balogh B. (Horváth K., 73.), Szabó B. (Vas, 63.), Papp K., Osváth – Hahn (Skribek, 84.), Tóth B. (Böde, 46.). Head coach: Bognár György.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai, Dreskovic, Romanchuk (Ojediran, 78.), Ferenczi – Lagator, Manrique (Szuhodovszki, 78.) – Vajda (Szécsi, 59.), Dzsudzsák, Domingues (Bódi, 78.) – Bárány (Loncar, 85.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Goal: Papp K.(84.) as well as Dzsudzsák (3.).

Yellow card: Tóth B. (11.), Osváth (44.) as well as Domingues (20.), Lagator (28.), Vajda (36.).

Two days left to bid on the dedicated shirts of our players, worn on the cup match against FTC. The online auction is available here: https://l.matchwornshirt.com/debreceni-6. Supporters can easily create an account on the www.matchwornshirt.com website to bid and follow the auctions of Debreceni VSC. Our fans can bid until 3 pm. on March 9, even on the jersey signed by the whole team.

Stefan Loncar and Meldin Dreskovic received a call-up to the Montenegrin national team. Stefan Loncar, the 28-year-old midfielder of DVSC, is a regular player of his home country’s national team, in which he has already made 12 appearances. Meldin Dreskovic is also a regular player of Loki. The last time when he received a call-up was in March 2022, then he made his debut in the national team. Montenegro will play preparation matches against Belorussia on March 21 and North Macedonia on March 25.

We wish good luck to Stefan Loncar and Meldin Dreskovic!

Erik Kusnyir, who suffered an ACL tear, has undergone surgery. The surgery went well, the stitches have been removed. The rehabilitation of the player has started and it’s going well.

What concerns Jorgo Pellumbi, he was able to return after a minor hamstring injury, however, during the cup game against Ferencváros, he felt some pain again after a bad movement. He has also started rehabilitation, but he is expected to be out for a few weeks.

In Thor Úlfarsson’s case, a long-standing injury has recurred, for which previously successful treatment methods were no longer sufficient. Our club is consulting with Hungarian and foreign specialists to find a permanent solution, and the striker is undergoing rehabilitation in the meantime.

We will keep our fans informed about the players’ injuries.  

DVSC started the final period of the championship against Mezőkövesd at Nagyerdei Stadium. Erik Kusnyir, Thor Úlfarsson and Jorgo Pellumbi were out of the squad due to injuries. Among the starting eleven were Botond Vajda, Soma Szuhodovszki, Hamzat Ojediran, Ádám Bódi as well as the 19-year-old Tamás Batai, who was in the starting line-up for the first time in NB I.

The kit manager of our team, Norbert Csarnai, has recently celebrated his 50^th birthday. He has been serving DVSC for exactly 25 years, which means that he has literally spent half of his life at Loki. He was greeted by our team’s managing director Balázs Makray and also by Balázs Dzsudzsák on behalf of the team. On the occasion of this beautiful anniversary, Norbert Csarnai performed the kick-off before the game. Well done, Csari!

At the beginning of the match, midfield play dominated and the first bigger chance came in the 18^th minute. After Soma Szuhodovszki’s cross, the goalkeeper of Mezőkövesd could clear only with difficulty. In the 27^th minute, Botond Vajda made a dangerous shot and Loki tried to press their opponent at the end of the first half. However, no goals were scored until the halftime.

The second half was more eventful. In the 49^th minute, Botond Vajda shot wide off the goal, then the goalkeeper of Mezőkövesd made a save to deny Stefan Loncar’s attempt. More than thirty minutes before the end, Brandon Domingues came off the bench, not long after which Balázs Dzsudzsák, Christian Manrique and Donát Bárány also came on. Prior to that, Mezőkövesd took the lead when Bőle shot the ball into the right corner of the goal from 16 meters (0-1).

In the 70^th minute, Donát Bárány headed wide off the goal, our team tried to equalize. Mezőkövesd were pressed to their goal at times, with Soma Szuhodovszki narrowly missing the target from long range in the 77^th minute. Brandon Domingues also had a chance but Loki could not equalize despite their striving, so the match ended with a painful defeat.  

According to the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: Congratulations to Mezőkövesd on the victory. On behalf of the coaching staff and the team, I would like to apologize to the fans, it was not a successful match. I am really disappointed. We had known it before that it was not going to be easy, but we expected a better game. We didn’t make good decisions on the last 20 meters and around the box, we missed the key passes and good shots, while making too many mistakes. The game became chaotic after the goal that we conceded, we were too nervous and could not find good solutions.

Milan Milanovic: Debrecen played well, they pressed us, so we could create chances only in the second half. I admit that we parked the bus in front of the goal but it was needed for the victory. This success can give a boost to the team.

OTP Bank Liga, round 23.

DVSC-Mezőkövesd 0-1 (0-0).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 3664 spectators. Referee: Csonka B.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai, Dreskovic, Romanchuk, Ferenczi – Ojediran (Manrique, 64.) – Vajda (Tuboly, 74.), Szuhodovszki, Loncar (Domingues, 57.), Bódi (Dzsudzsák, 64.) – Batai (Bárány, 64.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Mezőkövesd: Piscitelli – Kojnok, Lukic, Brtan, Pillár, Vajda (Szivacski, 71.) – Cseke (Karnitski, 79.), Cseri (Bőle, 60.), Szolgai (Szilágyi, 60.) – Molnár G. (Hedlund, 71.), Drazic. Head coach: Milan Milanovic.

Goal: Bőle (64.).

Yellow card: Lukic (12.).

There was great interest in our initiative, during which we asked our fans to choose the pattern of the next season’s jersey. We have received thousands of votes and the jersey “presented” by Erik Kusnyir was the absolute winner.

Thank you for your votes! Hajrá, Loki!

On Wednesday evening, DVSC clashed with the title defender Ferencváros for a spot among the top 8 teams in the MOL Hungarian Cup. The eight-finals started in a frenetic atmosphere, worthy of its ranking. Loki could not count on the injured Erik Kusnyir and Thor Úlfarsson this time. However, Ádám Bódi and Jorgo Pellumbi were back on track, with the latest among the starting eleven.

At the beginning of the match, in the 4^th minute, the goalkeeper of FTC saved Donát Bárány’s shot. Loki was prepared and entered the game well. In the 7^th minute, János Ferenczi had a dangerous shot from 19 meters but it went wide off the goal. DVSC were forced to make a substitution already in the 10^th minute: Jorgo Pellumbi felt some pain in his legs, so Oleksandr Romanchuk came off the bench. Our team looked quite concentrated and well-organized, having a clear advantage in some spaces.

In the 22^nd minute, Loncar from Ferencváros shot over the goal. Ten minutes later, Balázs Dzsudzsák curled the ball over the goal from a 24-meter free-kick. In the 40^th minute, our captain unleashed another shot but Varga made a brilliant save to deny it. Right before the break, VAR detected a penalty for FTC due to a handball, which was converted by Pesic (0-1).

Dominik Kocsis came on for the second half. Brandon Domingues jumped out of the defenders but Abena fouled him, for which he received a red card. Thus, Loki continued the match in a numerical superiority. Donát Bárány almost equalized but the ball went over the goal after his header. In the 55^th minute, Varga saved János Ferenczi’s shot, then Soma Szuhodovszki and Stefan Loncar came on as substitutes (later Ádám Bódi and during the extra time, Tamás Batai also came on). DVSC switched to an even more attacking approach.

In the 75^th minute, another shot from János Ferenczi went over the goal, then came the endgame. In the 78^th minute, after Domingues’ shot, the ball bounced on Cisse’s hand within the box and referee awarded a penalty this time as well. At first, Donát Bárány shot the ball into the hands of the goalkeeper but he converted the rebound (1-1). After that, FTC’s coach, Stankovic was complaining, for which he received a red card from the referee Kararó. Excitement grew and DVSC created some chances. The question of qualification was not decided within the regular time of play.

At the very beginning of the extra time, Donát Bárány headed wide off the goal, and DVSC had more possession. The goalkeeper of FTC made a brilliant save to deny Dominik Kocsis’ curl, so the team started the final stage of the game with a score of 1-1. There were a lot of duels during the second part of the extra time, but no winners, so it was time for the penalties.

Kodro didn’t miss, Ádám Bódi converted, Abu Fani also but Dominik Kocsis missed it. Then came Ramirez, whose shot was accurate and that was true for Soma Szuhodovszki’s too. Marquinhos converted, János Ferenczi too. In the last round, Zachariassen didn’t make a mistake, so FTC qualified to the next round.

We will continue on Saturday against Mezőkövesd, starting at 12:30 at Nagyerdei Stadium.

According to the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: Congratulations to Ferencváros for qualifying. I’m proud of my team because recently, we have played 4-5 tight games against Ferencváros, a team that was successful on the international stage too. It means that we also have quality. We played well already in the first half, we had a lot of chances, but in order to win, we need to use our chances. Perhaps, we should have been more patient during the extra time. I’m sorry because of this game. I would like to say thanks to the fans for their support and I would like to have this kind of atmosphere at all our matches. I would like ask everybody to come to the stadium on Saturday as well. One more comment for the people, who make the schedule of the matches: it’s 10 pm., we played 120 minutes and we will play at noon on Saturday… But my message is that we will survive!

On behalf of FTC, Leandro was present on the press conference: We played a very exciting match, our players proved that if sliding and crawling are necessary, they are capable of that too. Everybody fought for one another.

MOL Hungarian Cup, eight-finals.

DVSC-Ferencváros 1-1 (0-1, 1-1), with penalties: 3-5.

Nagyerdei Stadium, 10 371 spectators. Referee: Karakó F.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai (Loncar, 66.), Dreskovic, Pellumbi (Romanchuk, 10.), Ferenczi – Lagator, Manrique (Szuhodovszki, 66.) – Szécsi (Kocsis, 46.), Dzsudzsák, Domingues (Bódi, 90.) – Bárány (Batai, 114.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

FTC: Varga Á. – Makreckis, Abena, S Mmaee (Botka, 74.), Ramirez – Besic (Maiga, 59.) – Ben Romdhan (Marquinhos, 59.), Loncar (Zachariassen, 59.), Abu Fani, Sevikyan (Cisse, 48.) – Pesic (Kodro, 91.). Head coach: Dejan Stankovic.

Goal: Bárány (80.) as well as Pesic (45+1., from penalty).

Yellow card: Baranyai (41.), Dzsudzsák (45+2.), Bárány (70.), Dreskovic (85.) as well as Besic (39.), Ben Romdhan (58.), Varga Á. (118.).

Sent-off: Abena (46.).

DVSC starts a cooperation with MWS. This wordlwide project is based on a tested methodology, according to which clubs have the opportunity to auction players’ jerseys for fundraising purposes. The cup match against FTC is the first time when our supporters can bid on the dedicated, match-worn shirts of our players. Online auction starts at 7 pm, at the same time when the match starts and each player signs his own jersey.

Fans can easily create an account on the https://l.matchwornshirt.com/debreceni-6 website in order to make their first bids and follow the auctions of Debreceni VSC. The auction lasts until 3 pm. on March 9.