DVSC signed the 36-year-old Shuichi Gonda. The experienced Japanese goalkeeper has had an impressive career, making 38 appearances for his country’s national team. In the 2022 World Cup, he saved the goal of Japan, where his team defeated both Germany and Spain and reached the quarterfinals.
Until February, he played for Sihimizu S-Pulse and during his career, he has won both the Asian and the Japanese Cup. Shuichi Gonda has also played in Austria and Portugal, while in the Japanese league, he has saved the goal in 299 matches. As Krisztián Hegyi got injured, he can be a great asset to our team with his experience. Welcome to Loki!
On Friday evening, DVSC played against their direct rival Kecskemét. Due to injury, Krisztián Hegyi, Tamás Szűcs, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were out of the squad, while Balázs Megyeri was also not fully fit. Our goalkeeper, Donát Pálfi made his debut in the Hungarian top league. Among the starting XI were both of our strikers, Donát Bárány and Maurides.
In the 1st minute of the match, the defenders of Kecskemét blocked Donát Bárány’s shot, so the game started at a vivid pace. Both teams tried to be determined during the transitions, and the first bigger chance came in the 7th minute in front of Márk Szécsi, who unleashed a powerful shot from 15 meters out and did not miss the target (0-1). Thus, Loki took the lead and it was obvious how much was at stake.
DVSC played well and controlled the game in general, but the home team also made a lot of efforts in the heavy rain. In the 21st minute, Loki scored again: Márk Szécsi made a great pass and Botond Vajda shot the ball into the bottom right corner from 20 meters (0-2). In the 27th minute, Kecskemét pulled one back: Pászka battered at the top left corner from 24 meters (1-2). During the extra time, after Donát Bárány’s shot from 13 meters, Kristiyan Malinov converted the rebound and Loki went on halftime with a great advantage.
Kecskemét made three substitutions for the 2nd half, while Nestor El Maestro did not make any changes. The home team increased the pressure, but DVSC stood still. In the 57th minute, Donát Bárány almost scored, but the defenders cleared in the last moment. Then, Soma Szuhodovszki came off the bench (later Gergő Kocsis, Neven Djurasek and Balázs Dzsudzsák also came on).
At the beginning of the endgame, Kecskemét made several attempts, but all of them missed the target. Our team managed to control the game and save our advantage. In the final minutes, Ádám Lang made a big save, but at the end, DVSC earned an important and well-deserved victory.
The next match will be against Diósgyőr next Saturday at Nagyerdei Stadium.
According to the coach
Zoltán Gera: We beat ourselves as we made incomprehensible mistakes, out of which we conceded goals. We couldn’t rise to the challenge.
Nestor El Maestro: It is a well-deserved victory, we prepared well for this match and we were motivated. Our wingers scored two goals, after which we tried to control our advantage. We were not perfect, but played well for 90 minutes.
OTP Bank Liga, round 25.
Kecskemét-DVSC 1-3 (1-3).
Kecskemét, 2074 spectators. Referee: Erdős J.
Kecskemét: Varga B. – Botka (Szabó A., 66.), Belényesi, Katona L., Pászka, – Vágó (Camaj, 46.) – Berki (Májer, 46.), Katona B., Zsótér (Pálinkás, 75.), Zeke – Lopez (Lukács, 46.) Head coach: Zoltán Gera.
On Friday, DVSC stepped onto the pitch at the home of the well-performing Győr, which has been unbeaten this year. Due to injury, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were out of the squad, while Balázs Megyeri and Soma Szuhodovszki were missing due to illness. Moreover, several players took the field despite struggling with injuries. Among the starting XI was Donát Bárány, who has been scoring regularly against Győr.
At the very beginning of the match, the play was balanced and Loki had the first bigger chance in the 16th minute, but after Botond Vajda’s cross, Brandon Domingues’ shot was blocked. Following a corner, Amos Youga shot over the goal. By the middle of the first half, DVSC was obviously dominating and performed better in all aspects, but the goal was still missing.
In the 30th minute, Amos Youga unleashed a powerful shot, but it went just wide off the goal. Then, in the 31st minute, Maurides made a header, but he missed the target. Before the break, Krisztián Hegyi made a brilliant save to deny the one-on-one opportunity of Gavric. Loki played better, but during the extra time, Donát Bárány also missed his chance, so no goals were scored until the break.
At the beginning of the second half, Nije had a big chance, but he headed wide off the goal from close-range. Our team continued to lead promising attacks, but in the 54th minute, the goalkeeper saved Brandon Domingues’ shot. In the 57th minute, Petras performed two more feats to deny Domingues’ clear-cut chance. In the 62nd minute, Donát Bárány had a great chance, but he missed the target. Later, Balázs Dzsudzsák and Tamás Szűcs came on as substitutes.
The fights intensified in the last half an hour and in the 72nd minute, Tamás Szűcs was close to scoring. During the endgame, both teams had their attempts, but it stayed a draw. Based on the chances and play, Loki would have deserved the victory.
The next match will be after the international break on March 28 away in Kecskemét.
According to the coach
Balázs Borbély: It was a fast-paced match with plenty of chances. In the first half, Debrecen played well and surprised us with their five-defender formation. After the break, we were pushed back a bit, but we also had dangerous counter-attacks. In the last 30 minutes, we managed to take control, though overall, DVSC may have been slightly closer to victory.
Nestor El Maestro: My players were organized and played with passion. As the match progressed, they have showed more quality. We were closer to scoring and we played better today, but we have to go home with one point. We will continue the fight.
OTP Bank Liga, round 24.
Győr-DVSC 0-0.
ETO Stadion, 2890 spectators. Vezette: Rúsz M.
Győr: Petras – Marku (Sahli, 46.), Heitor, Szépe, Stefulj – Anton, Tóth R. – Ouro, Gavric, Bumba (Bánáti, 90.) – Njie (Krpic, 77.). Head coach: Balázs Borbély.
DVSC: Hegyi – Szécsi, Castegren, Lang, Hoffmann, Vajda (Kocsis D., 81.) – Youga, Malinov (Szűcs T., 62.), Domingues – Bárány (Dzsudzsák, 62.), Maurides. Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.
Yellow card: Anton (20.), Tóth R. (29.), Stefulj (44.), Marku (45.), Krpic (78.), Ouro (90.) as well as Malinov (18.), Dzsudzsák (66.), Youga (86.).
The Hungarian U21 national team is going to play two practice matches against Iceland and Ireland in March in Spain. Two young talents of DVSC, Tamás Szűcs and Botond Vajda, received a call-up to the national team. Good luck to our players!
14:00, 21 March 2025 Iceland – Hungary San Pedro Del Pinatar, Spain
20:00, 24 March 2025 Hungary – Ireland San Pedro Del Pinatar, Spain
Marco Rossi, the head coach of the national team, has announced the squad for the Nations League match against Turkey. Krisztián Hegyi, the goalkeeper of DVSC, has also been called up to the A national team. Congratulations!
Our team will play their first match in the Nations League play-off against Turkey on Thursday, March 20, starting from 6 pm. in Istanbul. The return leg will take place on March 23 at Puskás Arena.
Goalkeepers: Dénes Dibusz (Ferencvárosi TC), Péter Gulácsi (RB Leipzig), Krisztián Hegyi (DVSC), Péter Szappanos (Paksi FC)
Defenders: Botond Balogh (Parma), Endre Botka (Kecskeméti TE), Márton Dárdai (Hertha BSC), Attila Fiola (Újpest FC), Willi Orbán (RB Leipzig), Attila Szalai (Standard Liege)
Midfielders: Bendegúz Bolla (Rapid Wien), Bence Dárdai (Vfl Wolfsburg), Mihály Kata (MTK), Kerkez Milos (Bournemouth), Zsolt Nagy (Puskás Akadémia FC), Nego Loic (Le Havre AC), Tamás Nikitscher (Valladolid), András Schäfer (Union Berlin), Styles Callum (West Bromwich Albion), Alex Tóth (Ferencvárosi TC)
Strikers: Kevin Csoboth (St. Gallen), Dániel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union), Roland Sallai (Galatasaray), Levente Szabó (Braunschweig), Dominik Szoboszlai (FC Liverpool), Barnabás Varga (Ferencvárosi TC)
On Sunday, DVSC hosted the title defender Ferencváros, so there was an amazing atmosphere at Nagyerdei Stadium. Our club also prepared a surprise on the occasion of Women’s Day as the players of both teams were escorted onto the pitch by a beloved woman in their life (wife, mother, girlfriend, sister, daughter). Due to injury, Donát Bárány, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were out of the squad and Botond Vajda wasn’t fully fit either. However, Amos Youga was back in the starting XI.
The match started with a good pace as both teams were extremely motivated, but there were no dangerous chances in front of the goals at the beginning. In the 9th minute, Ádám lang headed over the goal after a corner, then in the 17th minute, Brandon Domingues nodded the ball just wide off the goal. On the other side, Saldanha found himself in a one-on-one opportunity in the 15th minute, but he missed the target.
In the 28th minute, Dibusz saved the header of Maurides. Loki played well and organized, but after Domingues was pulled down, the VAR did not sign a penalty. However, in the 35th minute, Ferencváros took the lead. Saldanha dribbled down to the baseline on the left side and crossed the ball to the centre, and Pesic curled it into the net from close range. Krisztián Hegyi could only get a hand on the ball (0-1). As an answer to that, Amos Youga unleashed a powerful shot from a distance, but it went wide off the goal. Thus, DVSC went on a break with a disadvantage.
The second half was also full of intense fights. Botond Vajda came off the bench for the last 30 minutes (later Soma Szuhodovszki and Dominik Kocsis also came on) and Loki did the maximum in order to equalize. In the 66th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák shot over the goal. There were a lot of duels and it was hard to break through the defence of FTC.
At the beginning of the endgame, Krisztián Hegyi performed a feat, then Maurides headed wide off the goal. Even though our team was fighting (Romao was even sent off the pitch at the end), we could not secure any points.
The next match will be away against Győr on Friday.
According to the coach
Nestor El Maestro: We are disappointed because we played well and did not deserve to lose. The small details were not falling our way. We have to continue fighting and working. We have to perform on this level minimum 10 more times and we hope that it will be enough.
Robbie Keane: I’m very happy for the 3 points and the mentality that we showed. I know that it is difficult to win here.
OTP Bank Liga, round 23.
DVSC-FTC 0-1 (0-1).
Nagyerdei Stadium, 10 634 spectators. Referee: Berke B.
DVSC: Hegyi – Szécsi (Stojkovic, 88.), Lang, Hofmann, Castegren (Vajda, 59.) – Malinov – Szűcs T., (Szuhodovszki, 76.), Youga, Domingues – Dzsudzsák (Kocsis D., 76.), Maurides. Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.
FTC: Dibusz – Makreckis (Kaján, 90.), Gartenmann, Cisse, Civic (Ramirez, 74.) – Naby Keita (Maiga, 59.), Romao – Raul Gustavo, Tóth A., Saldanha (Zachariassen, 90.) – Pesic (Varga B., 59.). Head coach: Robbie Keane.
Goal: Pesic (35.).
Yellow card: Domingues (55.), Lang (92.) as well as Tóth A. (49.), Gartenmann (65.), Romao (78., 93.), Makreckis (89.).
Put on the jersey! March 12 is the birthday of DVSC, founded in 1902. From now on, let this day be the International Loki Day every year—a day when we show that we are one big family.
No matter where we are or what we are doing, on March 12, let’s wear our Loki jersey, T-shirt, scarf, or cap and show the world that we stand together!
This initiative has been joined by mayor László Papp, DVSC president Ike Thierry Zaengel, Zoltán Szilvássy, the rector of the University of Debrecen, chancellor of the university Zoltán Bács, as well as László Lukács, frontman of Tankcsapda, and Dániel Sass gastro blogger.
Put on the jersey and be proud to be a DVSC supporter! Fans who also document this moment on social media with the hashtag #dvscnapja will have the chance to win valuable prizes! Hajrá, Loki!
An extremely important match was ahead of DVSC on March 2, hosting the direct rival Fehérvár at Nagyerdei Stadium. Amos Youga, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were missing due to injuries. Among the starting XI were Henrik Castegren and Tamás Szűcs, while Donát Bárány, who felt pain in his leg, was sitting on the bench.
The match started with some moments of celebration. Márk Szécsi has recently made his 200th appearance for DVSC, while Donát Bárány has reached his 100th match in the colours of Loki. On this occasion, our club’s management, president Ike Thierry Zaengel and managing director Balázs Makray greeted our homegrown players.
The match began with tough duels, then in the 8th minute, after a short pass from Malinov, Fehérvár took the ball and the lead as well. Saponjic found himself in a one-on-one opportunity, which he didn’t miss: he dribbled past Hegyi and shot the ball into the net (0-1). Loki immediately increased the pressure and in the 19th minute, Dala made a brilliant save to deny Maurides’ shot. DVSC was dominating and in the 24th minute, the goalkeeper saved Balázs Dzsudzsák’s long-range attempt, then Maurides made a header, which went over the goal. Until the break, our team attacked almost continuously, but we couldn’t score before halftime due to many inaccuracies. Moreover, in the 44th minute, Soma Szuhodovszki missed a clear chance.
Donát Bárány came on for the 2nd half and Loki pushed for an equalizer, but it was Fehérvár that scored again. In the 53rd minute, after a well-worked attack, Mátyás Katona slotted the ball into the net from a few meters out (0-2). Thus, Loki continued from a difficult position, but managed to pull one back in the 59th minute: Brandon Domingues took the ball, he deceived the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into the net from close-range (1-2).
The excitement increased and in the 70th minute, Maurides headed the ball over the goal. DVSC pressed, but Dala saved Donát Bárány’s header, so our team could not equalize. Thus, the match ended in a painful defeat for Loki.
The next match will be against Ferencváros in Debrecen.
According to the coach
Nestor El Maestro: In football, everything is about the result, so I would prefer not to go into a deep analysis. 11 matches left and we are 5 points below the line. We are in a difficult situation, but it’s not impossible. We need a series of good results.
Tamás Pető: We have achieved what we caame here for. Mentally, these are very important 3 points for us.
OTP Bank Liga, round 22.
DVSC-Fehérvár FC 1-2 (0-1).
Nagyerdei Stadium, 4744 spectators. Referee: Vad II.
DVSC: Hegyi – Castegren (Szécsi, 80.), Lang, Hofmann, Vajda – Malinov (Kocsis D., 60.) – Szűcs T. (Djurasek, 60.), Szuhodovszki (Bárány, 46.), Domingues – Dzsudzsák, Maurides. Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.
Fehérvár: Dala – Huszti, Petrov, Milicevic – Katona M. (Pető M., 71.), Melnik, Spandler, Bedi (Stefanelli, 46.), Holender – Szabó B. (Sekularac, 91.), Saponjic (Kalmár, 58.). Head coach: Pető Tamás.
Goal: Domingues (59.) as well as Saponjic (8.), Katona M. (53.).
Yellow card: Vajda (51.), Kocsis D. (69.), illetve Bedi (34.), Huszti (65.).
DVSC continued the championship at the home of Paks, a team that was currently on the podium in the table. Due to injuries, Amos Youga, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were out of the squad, however, Brandon Domingues was back after his suspension. For the first time among the starting XI was the recently signed Swedish player of Loki, Henrik Castegren.
At the beginning of the game, Paks tried to put pressure on Loki, but our team did not allow the home team to create serious chances. A few minutes later, DVSC also led some dynamic attacks, however, in the 11th minute, Krisztián Hegyi had to save the attempt of Ötvös. It was a tough fight, but the goals weren’t in danger until the 23rd minute, when Szappanos saved Donát Bárány’s close-range curl. Not long after, Maurides curled the ball, but it went just wide off the goal.
In the second part of the 1st half, the play was balanced and there were lots of duels. In the 31st minute, Soma Szuhodovszki headed wide off the goal at the end of a great action. In the 33rd minute, the referee awarded a penalty for Paks when Lenzsér went down inside the box next to Brandon Domingues. Martin Ádám converted the penalty (1-0). In the 38th minute, Silye also found the net with a long-range shot, blasting the ball under the crossbar from 13 meters out (2-0). Thus, the home team went on a break with a significant advantage.
Balázs Dzsudzsák came on for the 2nd half and Loki was pushing for a comeback. In the 51st minute, Kristiyan Malinov shot over the goal from 17 meters and by that time, our team already had more possession of the ball. Dominik Kocsis also came on, but for some time, the home goalkeeper didn’t have to make any saves.
Then, in the 64th minute, we managed to pull one back! After a corner, Brandon Domingues arrived at the far post and slotted the ball into the net from close-range (2-1). The game became close again, but in the meanwhile, Krisztián Hegyi had to perform a feat in order to deny Ádám’s one-on-one opportunity. In the 70th minute, Loki equalized! After a great free-kick from Balázs Dzsudzsák, Maurides headed the goal into the net from 7 meters (2-2). In the 73rd minute, Paks reacted. Könyves, who came on as a substitute, curled the ball into the far corner from 12 meters (3-2).
DVSC tried everything in the final minutes, but could not equalize. Moreover, in the 89th minute, Könyves converted his one-on-one opportunity and secured the tree points for the home team. Maurides’ fine header was merely a consolation goal (4-3).
The next match will be on Sunday against Fehérvár at Nagyerdei Stadium.
According to the coach
György Bognár: The final score doesn’t fully reflect the game; we could have won by a larger margin. It was a well-deserved victory.
Nestor El Maestro: Once again, we were competitive against our opponent, regardless of their position in the table. We had both good and bad periods during the match, but in the end, we couldn’t secure any points. We need to change this quickly as there are only 12 matches left.
OTP Bank Liga, round 21.
Paks-DVSC 4-3 (2-0).
Paks, 2200 spectators. Referee: Bognár T.
Paks: Szappanos – Lenzsér, Kinyik, Vécsei – Osváth, Ötvös (Horváth K., 90.), Papp K., Windecker, Silye (Hinora, 88.) – Tóth B. (Könyves, 71.), Ádám (Böde, 71.). Head coach: Bognár György.
DVSC: Hegyi – Castegren, Lang, Hofmann, Vajda – Malinov – Szécsi (Dzsudzsák, 46.), Szuhodovszki (Kocsis D., 61.), Domingues – Bárány (Djurasek, 77.), Maurides. Vezetőedző: Nestor El Maestro.
Goal: Ádám (34., from penalty), Silye (38.), Könyves (73., 89.) as well as Domingues (64.), Maurides (70., 94.).
Yellow card: Papp K. (27.), Kinyik (69.), Windecker (88.) as well as Malinov (10.), Hegyi (34.), Hofmann (45.), Bárány (54.), Kocsis D. (81.).
The 24-year-old striker of Loki, Donát Bárány, has reached his 100th league appearance for DVSC. The forward is performing excellently this season as well, leading the club’s scoring chart with 8 goals and ranking 3rd overall in the league’s top scorer table.
“Reaching this milestone makes me happy and proud. Out of the 100 matches, my debut during the victory against Budaörs in the second division is particularly memorable for me, as well as my debut in the first division, where I scored and we won 4-1 away against Honvéd. Another great memory is my hat-trick in the 5-3 match against Ajka, and of course, my three goals against FTC last December”, told Bárány Donát to dvsc.hu.
Dodó, who is very popular, has already scored 36 league goals in DVSC. Congratulations on this achievement and his 100th matches in Loki!
Ádám Lang, who can significantly contribute to our team’s performance, joined DVSC during the winter transfer window. The 32-year-old defender, who has won championship titles in Hungary, Romania and Cyprus, gave an interview to dvsc.hu, in which he talked about various topics, including his early days in swimming, his childhood self, his perspectives on life, Loki’s spring season, the European Championship and the role of defenders. In fact, we discussed The Shawshank Redemption, the film adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, featuring brilliant performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
– A 70-time capped Hungarian national team player and a responsible family man steps onto the pitch week by week in the colours of DVSC. Nevertheless, what kind of child was Ádám Lang?
– A mischievous, restless troublemaker. I was involved in everything, always looking for something to climb on. Back then, we didn’t have today’s technology, we weren’t glued to computers or game consoles. Instead, we hung out on the playgrounds and bushy areas between buildings in the housing estate of Veszprém where I lived until elementary school.
– How did football come into the picture?
– When I started elementary school, we moved to a residential area with family houses. At that time, traffic wasn’t as heavy as it is today, so we could play football in the streets. The displaced paving stones served as goalposts and we were playing football almost every day. If a car came, we stepped aside, then continued playing. I really enjoyed football and I felt that I was one of the bests on our street, yet I started with swimming. There were swimming lessons at school and I was good at it. I liked swimming and did it until upper elementary school. However, when I was 11, I walked up to my coach and told him, “I’m sorry, I love swimming and all, but from now on, I want to play football.” So that was it, I quit. My coach was surprised but said that if this was what I wanted, he was sorry to see me go but understood.
– At the age of 11 or 12, we have big dreams, but at that point, we can’t know what will happen to us or what the right decision is.
– That’s right. I watched the World Cup, the European Championship, the grand stage of football on TV and even the Hungarian first division seemed like a huge deal to me. I thought that it would be a huge achievement to get there. As I kicked the ball against the concrete wall in the street, I imagined myself being the one who scores a crashing goal into the top corner in a big match. Nevertheless, it’s a long journey. Only those who are in it know truly what this path entails. Take Ronaldo or Messi, for example. Everyone takes it for granted how many goals they score, how they dribble, but no one sees the immense work behind it. In today’s world, no one really cares how much effort you put in. They only look at whether you succeed or not, while the hard work behind the performance fades into the background. This career is beautiful and I’ve achieved results, but I still feel like it’s not enough for me. I live my life with the mindset of always setting new goals not just in football, but also as a family man.
– By the way, how big is the family?
– We have three kids, two boys and a girl. The eldest has just turned five, the middle one is about to turn four and the youngest one is two and a half. There’s always something to do and at time, it tests you, but they are the future. It’s my responsibility to pass on the knowledge and habits that will help them become valuable people and succeed in life.
– You managed to succeed at a very young age as after 44 years, the Hungarian national team qualified for the European Championship in France in 2016 and at the age of 23, you were a key player in the squad. How did you experience that?
– It was an emotional state in which I didn’t even think about where I was, who we were playing against or the atmosphere surrounding us. I simply lived in the moment and that put me in a mental state where I didn’t feel any pressure. We all approached it with a mindset of enjoying every match and every day we spent there because it was the first time in decades. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The older players, like Bazsi (Balázs Dzsudzsák), Gabi Király, Roli Juhász and Zoli Gera had experienced serious disappointments before, but this time we made it, so they were also “flying”. The team had great harmony and balance.
– Indeed, back then, hopes became reality. It’s well known that the Shawshank Redemption is one of your favourite films. There are countless reasons why—it’s a masterpiece—but I have to ask: why does it resonate with you?
– The story really got to me. You have a successful man whose life takes a terrible turn, and he ends up in prison despite being innocent. He’s thrown into a world where he needs immense mental strength, where he has to go to a very deep in order to survive. Yet, he still finds a way out because no matter what happens to him, he stays strong inside and shapes his mindset in a way that helps him endure.
– Would you say that you are an optimist? Is the glass usually half empty or half full for you?
–I grew up in a certain environment, adopted habits and had a particular mindset, but at some point, I realized I didn’t really like it. I told myself that I had to change, and I could because our mind controls everything. Every decision is guided by our brain, so why not “program” it in a way that benefits us and supports our growth? Deep down, we all feel what’s right. Our emotions, anger and anxiety are visible on us physically. I started analyzing these processes and worked hard to minimize negative feelings in tough situations, to stop wasting time and energy on things that don’t really matter. Sometimes, I had to figuratively slap myself and say, “Wake up, your thoughts are heading in the wrong direction.” It wasn’t easy, but I managed to change my inherited way of thinking. It’s something that you can learn. Complaining never moves anything forward.
– You also seem to radiate this kind of presence on the pitch. You position yourself confidently, you’re excellent in duels, and you read the game well. Is that instinct, a natural gift, or something you’ve developed over the years?
– It’s a very complex thing, you need some instinct for it, too. For example, when I went to my first training session and they asked me what position I wanted to play, I said winger. They put me there, but I had no clue what I was doing, I just didn’t have a feel for it. In the next session, they moved me to the back and I could instinctively read whether a cross or a shot was coming and where the ball would go. Nevertheless, hard work is essential! Repetition and developing muscle memory are crucial because many situations repeat themselves during matches. Everything is constantly changing, but there are fundamental football principles you have to learn. You also need to work on position-specific skills—it’s a bit like memorizing a poem in school; you have to know it by heart. Of course, let’s not forget there’s an opponent on the pitch, too. They might pull something unexpected that you can’t prepare for. There’s no book titled 500 Football Solutions for Everything… In those moments, you have to react quickly, ideally with a cool head, minimizing the stress factor as much as possible.
Intelligence is also important as defenders have a unique vantage point from the back, allowing us to read the game in ways others can’t. Ultimately, we carry a huge responsibility. A striker can miss 10 chances, but if we make one mistake, people immediately point and say, “Look, what does this idiot is doing?” Our job is primarily to protect the goal and there’s little room for even the slightest lapse in concentration. It’s a massive responsibility, but I love it. I’m a perfectionist— even if everyone pats me on the back saying I played great, I’m never fully satisfied.
– A few weeks have passed, and you’ve now settled in at Loki and in Debrecen. How do you feel here, both as a footballer and in your personal life?
– Family life is all good—we found a house, we found a suitable kindergarten, which is very important. The kids love it so much they don’t even want to come home, so overall, the picture is very positive. When I leave for training, I know my children are safe and happy, which means a lot to me.
From a professional perspective, I knew exactly where I was coming, I understood the situation. As soon as I arrived, even in the first few training sessions, I could see that—regardless of what happened in the fall—a new chapter was beginning here. From the intensity of the sessions and the players’ attitude it was clear that the spring season would be different. We have a gap to make up, but I’m thinking long-term. I’m absolutely satisfied with the conditions, the atmosphere in the dressing room, and I fully align with the coach’s vision as we think alike.
The two victories were crucial. The ending of the match against Puskás turned out the way it did, but we have to keep looking forward. I have no fear when it comes to reaching our goals. I see the work, the commitment—maybe the key mentally is to remember that while every match is important, we shouldn’t let the pressure become overwhelming. Everyone needs to be able to fully express themselves in those 90 minutes. We are here for each other, and we can support one another.
The 30-year-old player of Loki, Márk Szécsi, reached a significant milestone, making his 200th appearance for DVSC against Puskás Akadémia.
“It may sound strange, but in the current situation, this number concerns me the least. I would certainly think about it in a different way if the team would stand in another place on the table, but in my opinion, it doesn’t matter how many matches I have. Obviously, it feels uplifting and I owe my entire career to DVSC. This is the place where I became a professional football player and even though there were some smaller gaps and loans at other teams, I spent most of the time on the pitch in the colours of Loki.”
Szécsi was born in Eger and moved to Debrecen at an early age, so he could see the players of that time up close at the stadium on Oláh Gábor street. Back then, he promised himself that one day he would also like to play in the first team of DVSC.
“Like every young player, I also had dreams – it would have been great to play in the English or Spanish league. I have never been satisfied with myself, I have always strived for a better performance. However, looking at my career as a whole, I can’t be dissatisfied. I’ve experienced ups and downs in my career, as I was here when we were relegated to the second division. That was a very difficult period and now the team is in a similar situation. The positive side is that the second part of the season is still ahead of us. With good preparation, leaving the past six months behind but learning from our mistakes, the team will be capable of climbing out of this slump and avoiding the danger zone. We can only achieve this together.”
Márk Szécsi, as one of the senior players in the dressing room, also spoke about the younger generation.
“It’s a bit strange to hear and see, but the years have indeed passed and I’ve become a key figure in the dressing room. Fortunately, I’m still at a good age. The roles have shifted a bit during the years and today’s generation is different from ours. I remember when I first joined the senior squad – If I made a bad pass, the older players would be all over me. Nowadays, you have to be more cautious with what you say and how you say it. Of course, we support them as much as we can, offering advice and positive thoughts. However, sometimes I’d love to show them what it was like for us to be young!”
Finally, we asked Loki’s number 77 about his plans after his playing career.
“Of course, this is something that I think about, though I haven’t gone too deep into it yet. I still have a few years left in my career, and for now, I want to focus entirely on that. In the summer of 2024, I completed the UEFA C coaching course. I really enjoyed leading training sessions for the kids, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will choose a coaching career. We’ll see what the future holds. One thing is certain – I am currently focused on achieving the best possible results with Loki.”
Congratulations to Márk Szécsi on the significant anniversary!
