There was a real football atmosphere during the first-leg match of the 3^rd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, when Loki played away against Rapid Wien in front of 17,000 spectators on Thursday evening in Vienna. Almost 1000 fans accompanied our team to Austria, which gave a huge support to the players. Unfortunately, János Ferenczi was not in the squad because of his injury but among the starting eleven we could see Joao Oliveira, who arrived at Loki in summer.

As it was expected, Rapid tried to press and attack already at the beginning of the match but we started in a calm manner and had a lot of ball possession. The first bigger chance came in the 12^th minute, when Balázs Megyeri had to save the close curl of Seidl. In the 17^th minute, at the end of a beautiful attack, Joao Oliveira was fouled 17 meters away from the goal and from the resulting free-kick, Balázs Dzsudzsák took a fantastic shot, which hit the goalpost.

In the next minutes, DVSC was still playing well and in the 29^th minute, it looked like Márk Szécsi was fouled within the box but the referee did not award a penalty kick. In the 32^nd minute, Grüll shot just wide from a free-kick and towards the end of the first half, the referee did not award a goal for the home team due to a handball. Megyeri had to make one more brilliant save until the halftime, but no valid goals were scored, and our team performed well.

At the beginning of the second half, the game’s dynamics remain unchanged; Loki was effectively holding back Rapid and led some beautiful attacks. The excitement grew and there was a tough fight. In the 58^th minute, Balázs Megyeri saved Kühn’s shot, and in the 61^st minute, Brandon Domingues came on as a substitute.

At that point, the game was uninterrupted several times, but our team was still an equal opponent of Rapid Wien. In the final minutes, Donát Bárány and Alexandros Kyziridis also came on as substitutes and Loki was becoming more dangerous in front of the opponent’s goal. In the 80^th minute, after Bárány’s passing, Kyziridis hit the left goalpost from 10 meters. Thus, our team was close to scoring in both halves.

In the endgame, Loki was playing better than Rapid (József Varga and Alexander Mojzis also came on) but no goals were scored. DVSC is still undefeated away in 2023, and the return match will take place next Thursday at 9 pm. in Nagyerdei Stadium.

With the eyes of the coach

Zaran Barisic: It was confirmed that Debrecen is a strong opponent. We had more chances in the first half but we were not able to score. In the second half, both teams had some chances. The return match is going to be exciting and the question who qualifies for the next round is still open.

Srdjan Blagojevic: It was a really demanding match, Rapid was considered to be the favourite in this game but we stayed alive. The second match will decide our fate, we are waiting for the return match in Debrecen. We have improved, and this game was a little bit like the one that we played away against Ferencváros. It was hard to implement our plan, but I would like to praise my players because they reacted very well on the intensive football of our opponent. We can be better and must be better.

UEFA Conference League, 3rd qualifying round, 1st match.

Rapid Wien-DVSC 0-0.

Allianz Stadium, 17 200 spectators. Referee: Rob Hennessy (Irish).

Rapid: Hedl – Schick, Querfeld, Cvetkovic, Auer – Kühn (Strunz, 81.), Sattlberger (Greil, 69.), Kerschbaum, Grüll (Bajic, 89.) – Seidl (Mayulu, 81.), Burgstaller. Head coach: Zoran Barisic.

DVSC: Megyeri – Kiusnyír, Dreskovic, Romanchuk, Manrique – Lagator, Loncar (Mojzis, 91.) – Szécsi (Domingues, 61.), Dzsudzsák (Varga J., 91.), Joao Oliveira (Kyziridis, 70.) – Dorian Babunski (Bárány, 70.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Yellow card: Querfeld (17.), Seidl (44.), Cvetkovic (75.), Kerschbaum (91.), as well as Joao Oliveira (45+4.).

The cooperation between DVSC and Desmond Tra, one of the representatives of the SPOCS agency, is getting stronger. Due to this cooperation, the head scout of DVSC, Bence Gulácsi had the opportunity to participate in scouting programs in Nigeria two times over the last year.

During these times, he visited the matches of several local clubs, held numerous consultations, and the most intriguing players for DVSC received invitations for trials in Debrecen.

Among the players who participated in the tests, David Nwachukwu delivered the most convincing performance. So much so that DVSC signed a contract with the 19-year-old talent.

David Nwachukwu, who was raised at the Iglaho Academy, is a left-footed, technically talented player, who can be deployed especially as an attacking midfielder. He has already joined DVSC II., and during the preparation matches of the second team, was outstanding with his goals and assists. He has already trained with the first team as well.

The cooperation continues due to the kindness and fair relationship between the parties. DVSC continues to look after the talents on several continents. Due to this, signing one more Nigerian player is among the plans of DVSC. Welcome to Loki, David Nwachukwu!

Tickets for the DVSC-Rapid Wien match of the UEFA Conference League can be purchased online at nagyerdeistadion.hu and in person at the ticket offices and DVSC Shop. Match day: August 17, starting at 9 pm.

Important to know:

• Season tickets are not valid for this match.
• Discount for season ticket holders: until August 10, they have the opportunity to purchase tickets their season ticket spots with a 20% discount. No online purchase option for these tickets, please use the ticket offices!
• The abovementioned information is valid for pensioner season tickets as well.

• VIP:
  • 20% discount for the VIP season tickets until August 10
  • no discount on VIP-child tickets as these are already discounted

• After August 10, we will release the season ticket spots for ticket sales as well.

DVSC signed a professional contract with two young players, Erik Kócs-Washburn and Ernest Romanchuk.

Erik Kócs-Washburn is a 2003-born winger, and he is a Hungarian-American dual citizen. We have signed him in January 2023 from his home team Chicago Fire, where he played in the junior team. In the spring season, he scored 7 goals and gave 8 assists in the ranks of DVSC II., and played an important role in reaching the 4^th place in the Eastern group of the third division.

Ernest Romanchuk is a 2003-born, Ukrainian left-footed centre-back. He was raised at the youth team of the internationally renowned Dinamo Kijev, where he reached the U19 age group. He is the younger brother of Oleksandr Romanchuk, who plays in our first team.

We wish them good luck in the ranks of DVSC!

UEFA drew the pairings for the fourth, play-off qualifying round of the Conference League on Monday afternoon, and the “pots” were already prepared in the morning.

Based on this, it was known that the winner of the DVSC-Rapid Wien match would face an incredibly strong opponent in the next round. This could have been either the Belgian Brugge, the Serbian Partizan, the Greek PAOK, the Israeli Maccabi Tel-Aviv, or the Italian Fiorentina.

During the draw, it was revealed that the winner of the DVSC-Rapid match will play against the Italian Fiorentina for the group stage, and the second leg will take place in Florence.

The match dates are: August 24 and 31.

DVSC prolonged the contract of Erik Kusnyir until 2026. The 23-year-old homegrown player has been showing great performance from match to match, and he has been a key player of the team for many years.

In the last season, he played in 21 league matches and was one of the best players during the cup match on Thursday as well.

“I’m happy to continue my career in Debrecen. The decision was obvious when the club informed me about their intention to extend my contract. DVSC is the team where I became a professional football player, the place where I made my debut in the first division and I owe a lot to the club. I hope that we can reach much more success together and I would like to play more games on the international stage too. In fact, it is no secret that my goal is to make a debut in the Hungarian national team as well,” said Erik Kusnyír happily after signing his contract.

We congratulate our player and wish him success in the ranks of DVSC!

On Thursday evening, Loki played the 100^th international cup game in the history of the club at Nagyerdei Stadium, which was the second leg of the second qualifying of the UEFA Conference League. Winning 0-1 away against the Armenian Alashkert created a good basis for qualifying but everybody knew that still, the battle had to be fought.

Except János Ferenczi, who was not in the squad because of his injury, everybody was ready to play, so there were no surprises regarding the line-up. The match started in a fantastic atmosphere, the fans gave huge support to the team. Loki started the match dynamically, in the 3^rd minute Balázs Dzsudzsák shot over the goal from long-range, after which Kyziridis also tried and was not far from scoring. In the 10^th minute, Christian Manrique shot sharply from the left wing but it hit the crossbar.

The first chance for Alashkert came in the 18^th minute, when Megyeri saved the close-range shot of Khurtsidze but the opponent took the lead after the corner. Ustinov headed the ball into the center of the goal from 7 meters (0-1).

At this point, it looked like there will be extra time so DVSC tried to fix the situation. In the 29^th minute, Meldin Dreskovic headed over the goal. There were some other dangerous situations in front of the opponent’s goal but no equalizer goal was scored until the halftime.

At the beginning of the second half, in the 51^st minute, DVSC earned a free-kick about 23 meters from the goal, Balázs Dzsudzsák’s ball bounced off the defensive wall. In the 55^th minute, Stefan Loncar shot over the goal from 24 meters but our team still tried to equalize. In the 58^th minute, Balázs Megyeri made a brilliant save when Agdon was in a clear-cut chance. After that, Ádám Bódi came onto the pitch.

In the 66^th minute, Dorian Babunski slid the ball just wide off the goal. Then, Alashkert scored in the 67^th minute: after a quick attack, Mimito shot the ball into the bottom right corner (0-2). So, there was trouble, big trouble, DVSC was on the verge of relegation. During the final minutes, Brandon Domingues and Donát Bárány came on as substitutes but still, there were lots of mistakes in our play.

Finally, the Loki goal came in the final minutes! In the 77^th minute, Domingues came from the right wing and made a great cross, and the arriving Balázs Dzsudzsák shot the ball into the left side of the goal from 12 meters (1-2). Later, both Stefan Loncar and Donát Bárány had their chances and in the 87^th minute, Kutalia kicked Domingues from the back and received a red card, so the guest team was playing undermanned from that point on. No other goals were scored during the extra time (8 minutes), then came the 2×15 minute prolongation.

In the first part of the prolongation, the superiority of Loki was obvious but our team didn’t really have a big chance to score. There was a waiting game on the pitch, in the 98^th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák shot over the goal. Antonio Mance also came on (he had a huge chance) but the decision was left for the last 15 minutes, and as it turned out, it went to penalties.

In the 106^th minute, the opponent goalkeeper Cancarevic brilliantly saved at first Donát Bárány’s, then Antonio Mance’s clear-cut chance. The spectators saw a real cup battle and experienced dramatic excitements at the stadium. The game was resumed for lots of minutes, and Joao Oliveira, who came on as a substitute in the 109^th minute, shot over the goal from a really close distance. Then came the penalties.

Yadigariyan missed it (Balázs Megyeri punched out the ball), Ádám Bódi scored (1-0), Mimito shot wide off the goal, Mance shot at the top right corner and scored (2-0), Muzek converted the goal (2-1), Donát Bárány also scored (3-1), however, Balázs Megyeri saved Fatai’s shot, and that’s how DVSC qualified for the next round with a 2-2 final score and penalties.

Our next opponent on the international stage is the 32-time Austrian champion, Rapid Wien. The first leg will be on August 10 in Vienna, while the second leg will be on August 17 in Debrecen.

With the eyes of the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: It was a dramatic match. Perhaps, the spectators enjoyed some parts of these excitements but me, as a coach, like when we control the game. Now, it didn’t happen. I knew that it will be a tough match and it showed up on the pitch as well. We had some tactical and technical mistakes, and lost the second balls lots of times. During several parts of the game, the opponent was better. However, I would like to praise my players because they brought a lot of energy in order to succeed. The goal of Balázs Dzsudzsák kept us alive and the red card changed the game. We are happy but we learned what are those aspects, in which we should still progress.

Vahe Gevorgyan: Congratulations to Debrecen for qualifying for the next round. It was a really good match but I do not agree with some decisions of the referee, such as the red card. From a tactical point of view, both matches, the one in Yerevan and the one in Debrecen, were interesting. We wanted to put high pressure on our opponent but the red card changed the game. Penalties are often down to luck.

UEFA Conference League, second qualifying round, second leg.

DVSC-Alashkert (Armenian) 1-2 (0-1, 1-2, 1-2), in total 2-2, with penalties 3-1.

Nagyerdei Stadium, 10 708 spectators. Referee: Robert Schröder (German).

DVSC: Megyeri – Kusnyír, Dreskovic, Romanchuk, Manrique (Joao Oliveira, 117.) – Lagator, Loncar (Mance, 99.) – Szécsi (Domingues, 73.), Dzsudzsák, Kyziridis (Bódi, 65.) – Dorian Babunski (Bárány, 73.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Alashkert: Cancarevic – Ustinov, Carrillo (Yadigaryan, 109.), Voskanyan, Muzek – Flores (Mensah, 89.), Wbeymar (Gareginyan, 83.), Khurtsidze (Grigoryan, 106.), Mimito, Racines (Fatai, 61.) – Agdon (Kutalia, 61.). Head coach: Vahe Gevorgyan.

Goal: Dzsudzsák (77.), as well as Ustinov (18.), Mimito (67.).

DVSC has signed a cooperation agreement with Road Service Kft., the official dealer of Toyota and Lexus.

The agreement was announced on Tuesday, August 1, at Nagyerdei Stadium by managing director Balázs Makray, together with Kálmán Illés-Tóth and Rudolf Gánya, the owners of Road Service Kft.

Before the opening game against Mezőkövesd, there were joyful and sad moments at the same time. As a lead-up to the game, the U14, U15 and U15 teams of the DVSC Football Academy were celebrated because of their national championship titles.

We also held one-minute silence to bid farewell to our fellow supporter, who tragically passed away suddenly. Roland Nagy passed away at the age of 25, leaving an irreplaceable void. He had been part of the DVSC family for long years, supporting the team at home and away since he was a child. Also, the audience commemorated our former player Papp II László, who passed away at the age of 85. The former left-back of DVSC, nicknamed Sutyi, had been a player of the first team of Loki since the age of 17, from 1955 until 1961.

Now, let’s talk about the match. János Ferenczi and Alexander Mojzis were not in the squad because of their injuries, while Brandon Domingues was banned as a result of his red card that he received during the last game of the previous season. On the other hand, among the starting eleven were Joao Oliveira, who arrived this summer, the 19-year-old Botond Vajda, as well as Donát Bárány and Ádám Bódi.

Right from the beginning of the match, it was evident that the guest team was focusing on organized defence and it would not be easy to break through that. The midfield play dominated and the first shot was in the 19^th minute, when Balázs Megyeri confidently saved the curl of David Babunski. In the 22^nd minute, after a cross from Botond Vajda, Joao Oliveira shot from close-range but Piscitelli saved with his leg. Not long after, following a corner, Meldin Dreskovic headed just wide of the goal from 9 meters.

By the middle of the first half, Loki had some chances but in the 27^th minute, Mezőkövesd took the lead due to Drazic, who shot a rebound into the net from 12 meters (0-1). DVSC appeared in a tough situation but reacted well as they equalized already in the 33^rd minute! Stefan Loncar received the ball about 23 meters away from the goal and then brilliantly curled it into the top left corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to save. It was an amazing goal (1-1)! Until the halftime, no more goals were scored, so the match was decided in the second half.

After the break, in the 47^th minute, Erik Kusnyír’s shot was blocked by the defenders, but in the 55^th minute, Loki turned the game around. Ádám Bódi delivered an excellent cross from the left, and the arriving Stefan Loncar slid the ball into the net from 8 meters to score his second goal (2-1). Our team played superbly during this period, impressing the fans and earning applause multiple times.

Mezőkövesd also tried to score but the superiority of Debrecen was obvious. In the 67^th minute, after a nice dribble, Botond Vajda hit the left bar, then Márk Szécsi and Balázs Dzsudzsák came on as substitutes. In the final minutes, Piscitelli saved Christian Manrique’s clear-cut chance, then Dorian Babunski and Alexandros Kyziridis also came on. There were some exciting moments even in the final minutes but in the 92^nd minute, Dorian Babunski finished the match with a great clear-cut chance (3-1). Thus, Loki won and started the championship with valuable 3 points.

We will continue on Thursday against the Armenian Alashkert in the UEFA Conference League, starting at 9 pm. at Nagyerdei Stadium.

With the eyes of the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: It’s a great pleasure to start the season with a victory. The start of the championship is always difficult though. In the first half, we were too shy and energy was missing, and we also did some basic mistakes. We conceded a goal but the beautiful shot of Stefan Loncar kept us alive. During the halftime, we realized what kind of tactical changes we need to make. These changes were successful, we scored goals, so I’m satisfied with the second half. We don’t have time to celebrate as we have an important match on Thursday. This victory is also a call for our fans to come to the stadium and support us because it helps a lot.

Attila Kuttor: Congratulations to Debrecen, they deserved to win. For a long time, we managed to realize our plans, it worked for some time but then the opponent broke us.

OTP Bank Liga, 1^st round.

DVSC-Mezőkövesd 3-1 (1-1).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 4844 spectators. Referee: Káprály.

DVSC: Megyeri – Kusnyír, Dreskovic, Romanchuk, Manrique – Lagator, Loncar (Ojediran, 92.) – Joao Oliveira (Szécsi, 70.), Vajda B. (Dzsudzsák, 70.), Bódi (Kyziridis, 78.) – Bárány (Dorian Babunski, 78.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Mezőkövesd: Piscitelli – Kállai, Lukic, Pillár, Filip – Prudnikov (Cseri, 59.), Brtan, David Babunski (Hudák, 75.), Illés (Cseke, 75.), Vajda S. – Drazic. Head coach: Attila Kuttor.

Goal: Loncar (33., 55.), Dorian Babunski (92.), and Drazic (27.).

Yellow card: Lagator (64.), and Lukic (24.), Brtan (29.).

For three years now, Tranzit Group has been the main sponsor and partner of DVSC. On a press conference on Monday, July 31, the parties announced the extension of their contract for one more year. The name and logo of the Tranzit Group will stay on the jersey of DVSC and be present at Nagyerdei Stadium as well.

On the press conference, the mayor of Debrecen Dr. László Papp stated that Loki successfully finished the previous season, and we can be proud of the team.

“In my opinion, the composition and mentality of the team is excellent, and DVSC can fight for significant goals in the next season as well. In this case, the stable financial background is especially crucial, and it is important that those who have stood by the club, stand still in the future too. For this reason, it is a pleasure to announce that the contract between the club and the Tranzit Group has been extended for one more year. For me, it is an important confirmation that a company, such as Tranzit Group, is a representative of local commitment,” said the mayor.

Miklós Szabó, the founder of Tranzit Group, stated that the company group has been supporting sports in Debrecen for over 30 years.

“Why is it worthy for the company? I always say that because of Debrecen, but of course, it can also be beneficial from a business perspective. We do love football, and if everything happens according to our plans, we can even prolong our cooperation”, stated Miklós Szabó.

Balázs Makray, managing director of DVSC, talked about the fact that similarly to Tranzit Group, DVSC also aims to reach higher levels.

“We are really glad that a company from Debrecen supports the football club of Debrecen. We do everything in order to continue our cooperation. During the last season, the team progressed and they are on the right path,” said the managing director.

Tranzit Group

The Debrecen-based Tranzit Group, with over three decades of history, is now recognized in the global market for the production, processing and trade of waterfowl. Founded and led by Miklós Szabó and his family 33 years ago, the company has become a significant player in the Hungarian and European poultry industry thanks to their work over the past decades, a stable team of experts and continuous growth.

Matar Dieye leaves DVSC. The Senegalese forward arrived in Debrecen last summer and spent the spring season at the Finnish KuPS on loan. It has become official that Matar Dieye permanently leaves DVSC.

We wish him good luck in his future career!