After winning against Nyíregyháza (3-1) and MTK (2-0), DVSC continued the championship at Nagyerdei Stadium, hosting the leader of the table and the title-chaser Puskás Akadémia on Saturday evening in below zero temperature. Due to injury, Amos Youga, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik and Yacouba Silue were out of the squad, while Brandon Domingues was missing due to suspension. Among the starting XI were Balázs Dzsudzsák, Kristiyan Malinov and Neven Djurasek.

The match started intensively, both teams tried to build attacks quickly if given the opportunity. There were many duels and the first bigger chance came in the 12^th minute, when Colley headed from close-range, but Krisztián Hegyi saved it. DVSC was organized and played well, taking the lead in the 29^th minute! After a free-kick, Botond Vajda took the ball within the box, then scored a crashing goal into the top right corner of the goal from the left side (1-0). Until the break, mainly Loki was dominating, however, Krisztián Hegyi also had to perform two feats.

Dominik Kocsis came on for the second half and our team tried to continue playing organized and tactical football. Both teams had some dangerous attempts, but Puskás Akadémia was awarded a penalty due to a handball, even though Maximilian Hoffman’s move did not seem to be intentional. In the 56^th minute, Zsolt Nagy converted the penalty (1-1).

There was a lot of tension in the following minutes, and in the meanwhile, Donát Bárány also came off the bench. During the endgame, there were chances on both sides, but in the 95^th minute, Plsek scored (1-2), so the guest team won. DVSC would have deserved a point.

The next match will be away against Paks on Saturday.

According to the coach

Nestor El Maestro: When you lose this way, it is the worst feeling in the world. It hurts a lot, but we need to get through this as we have an important match ahead of us next week.

Zsolt Hornyák: We earned very important three points in Debrecen, where it has never been easy to play. After the break, my team showed what I was missing in the first half. We made changes, we were more dangerous and deserved to win.

OTP Bank Liga, round 20.

DVSC-Puskás Akadémia 1-2 (1-0).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 3334 spectators. Referee: Rúsz M.

DVSC: Hegyi – Szécsi, Lang, Hofmann, Vajda – Malinov – Szűcs T. (Stojkovic, 85.), Szuhodovszki, Djurasek (Kocsis D., 46.) – Dzsudzsák (Shedrach, 94.), Maurides (Bárány, 67.). Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.

Puskás Akadémia: Pécsi – Maceiras, Arutiunian, Stronati, Markgráf (Vékony, 90.) – Favorov, Plsek – Kerezsi (Nissila, 46.), Levi, Nagy Zs. – Colley. Head coach: Hornyák Zsolt.

Goal: Vajda (29.) as well as Nagy Zs. (56., from penalty), Plsek (95.).

Yellow card: Hofmann (14.), Dzsudzsák (78.), Malinov (82.), illetve Kerezsi (16.), Nagy Zs. (26.), Markgráf (37.), Colley (49.).

Thor Úlfarsson is leaving DVSC by mutual agreement with the club. The 24-year-old Icelandic striker arrived in Debrecen a year ago. However, he got injured and underwent several surgeries, that’s why he played only in 3 matches in the colours of Loki. We wish him good luck!

No wonder DVSC midfielder Brandon Domingues has become a fan favourite as he has been in excellent form recently. The passionate player, who never gives up, doesn’t think that he is as good as the public perceives him to be, but he appreciates the words of praise.

“Hard work is key and I’ve also become more confident. I see that the fans like me, which boosts my confidence too. In our situation, we have to give our all, perhaps that’s why I’m in a better form.”

It was a pleasure to watch Domingues, who scored against MTK, in action. Loki supporters were chanting his name during the match and for a long time after the final whistle as well.

“It felt fantastic when the fans were chanting my name. It was the first time when I heard this, and obviously, it felt great. I love our supporters and I know that they were worried when they heard that I could leave. I would also like to fight for them as they always stand by the team, they are coming and supporting us in hard times as well. For me, it is very important to give something to them.”

Several news came out, suggesting that the player wearing the number 99 jersey might leave the club. However, Brandon Domingues denied the rumours, much to the delight of the fans.

“DVSC is my club, which means that I do everything for the team. As I have mentioned before, it is very important to stay and persist during hard times. That’s what being a family means, which I learned from my mother. The club and my teammates mean everything to me here. I feel good in this team, so there is no reason for me to leave. Money is not everything and for me, football is not all about money. I would like to create something in Debrecen and I also want the team to stay in the first division next year.”

Loki has won two out of two matches so far, achieving a good start, which was crucial.

“We did start well the second part of the season and that’s how we have to continue. We need to stay humble as we are still close to the relegation zone. We would like to move up higher on the table and we need to prove that we are capable of playing good football as we did against Nyíregyháza and MTK. We gave our all and we need to continue with this attitude.”

Brandon Domingues clearly enjoys playing football as he often delights the audience with brilliant moves.

“This is my style. Obviously, I watched a lot of videos about these moves as a child and I tried to copy them. It wasn’t easy, but everyone liked it, including me, so I learned the tricks.”

The French-Portugese player has scored 7 goals in the championship so far, but as he mentioned, he does not think about becoming the top scorer.

“I would leave that position for our striker Dodó. Of course, If I have the opportunity to score, I try, but if I can provide an assist to Dodó or Mauri, I will do that. I don’t think about the table of the top scorers, I just try to help the team with goals and assists.”

Unfortunately, Domingues will not be able to do that against Puskás as he is suspended due to earning his 5^th yellow card against MTK. Thus, the team has to achieve the best result without our midfielder on Saturday.

“I believe in my team and in the fact that the guys will do a good job. I expect many supporters as we are going to play at home and we are also in a good series. Felcsút is a good team too, they beat Ferencváros at home and as the leader of the table, they are coming to Debrecen with full confidence. Yet, we concentrate on our own play, so I’m confident.”

Finally, Brandon Domingues told that he really loves Debrecen, where he already has his favourite places.

“I feel good here and I don’t feel the need of living in a big city. Of course, there are numerous opportunities in Budapest, but Debrecen is big enough for me. I hope that I can stay here and play football as long as possible.”

During the victory against MTK (2-0) on Friday, Amos Youga, who was playing excellently, got injured and had to be substituted in the 55th minute. According to medical examinations, our midfielder suffered a thigh muscle tear, which is expected to sideline him for 4-5 weeks. Over the weekend, Amos Youga has already begun his rehabilitation with the help of DVSC’s medical staff. We wish him a speedy recovery!

After the victory over Nyíregyháza (3-1), DVSC continued the championship away against the well-performing MTK on Friday evening in 0°C weather. Due to injury, János Ferenczi, Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik, Yacouba Silue and Thor Úlfarsson were missing. Compared to last week’s starting line-up, Botond Vajda substituted János Ferenczi and instead of Tamás Szűcs, Kristiyan Malinov started in front of a lot of Debrecen fans.

The match started with a good pace and in the 3^rd minute, Krisztián Hegyi made a brilliant save to deny Stieber’s one-on-one opportunity. The play was balanced as both teams tried to build dangerous attacks, but the defence was pretty solid on both sides. In the 20^th minute, Molnár shot wide off the goal from 13 meters, then Kristiyan Malinov’s long-range attempt was blocked.

In the 29^th minute, Demjén saved Soma Szuhodovszki’s left-sided shot. Following a corner, Maurides made a header, after which Brandon Domingues nodded the ball into the net from a few steps from the goal (0-1).

Thus, Loki took the lead! In the 33^rd minute, Loki could have been awarded a penalty due to a handball by an MTK defender. However, the VAR did not deem the situation worthy of a penalty. Before the break, Polievka unleashed a powerful shot, but it went over the goal. The score did not change by halftime.

At the beginning of the second half, Amos Youga shot wide off the goal. Both teams were fighting with maximum effort. In the 55^th minute, Amos got injured and had to be substituted, so Tamás Szűcs came on. MTK tried to increase the pressure, but DVSC defended well.

In the 65^th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák came on as a substitute. Our team was disciplined and doubled their advantage! In the 69^th minute, after our captain’s corner-kick, the defenders managed to block Soma Szuhodovszki’s header, but Tamás Szűcs did not miss the target from close-range (0-2). Not long after, Ádin Molnár, who had just come on, was sent-off due to a foul against Brandon Domingues. Thus, MTK continued with one man down.

During the endgame, there were a lot of duels, but Loki secured the victory. It was a really important win for the team as they could move away from the relegation zone and could secure an away victory against MTK again after 7 years.

The next match will be against Puskás Akadémia at Nagyerdei Stadium.

According to the coach

Dávid Horváth: We started well and played well at the beginning, but we couldn’t create any major chances from it. From the 15th minute of the second half, I felt that we were becoming less and less dangerous. We fought hard, but by then, the match was already decided. With Bognár and Hej missing, our options were limited.

Nestor El Maestro: I’m glad for the result, but our progress makes me even happier as we’ve been working very hard since the beginning of January. We collected maximum points in two games this year and we will do everything in order to continue in the same way.

OTP Bank Liga, round 19.

MTK-DVSC 0-2 (0-1).

Új Hidegkuti Stadium, 2389 spectators. Referee: Vad II.

MTK: Demjén – Varju, Bobál D. (Szőke, 88.), Kádár, Kovács P. – Horváth A., Kata – Polievka (Molnár Á., 68.), Stieber (Bakó, 68.), Molnár R. (Végh, 77.) – Jurina. Head coach: Dávid Horváth.

DVSC: Hegyi – Szécsi (Kocsis G., 88.), Lang, Hofmann, Vajda – Malinov, Youga (Szűcs T., 55.), Szuhodovszki (Djurasek, 88.), Domingues – Bárány, Maurides (Dzsudzsák, 65.). Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.

Goal: Domingues (29.), Szűcs T. (69.).

Yellow card: Molnár R. (45+2.), Bobál (62.) as well as Vajda (17.), Domingues (61.).

Dismissal: Molnár Á. (73.).

Dear DVSC fans,
In the last few days, I have received a lot of messages on various social networks. I think that it is time to clarify the situation. During this winter transfer period, the club has received several offers and after talking with the president, the coach, my teammates and the club, we have agreed that we want the same thing, which is to keep the club in the elite of Hungarian football. I have no intention or desire to leave now. We are a big family, going through a difficult time, and my principles and values do not allow me to leave the club in this situation. I am completely focused on my club, Debrecen. Our common story is not finished yet!

Domingues Brandon 99.

Meldin Dreskovic is leaving DVSC and continues his career at a German second-division team, Darmstadt, for a transfer fee. The 26-year-old Montenegrin defender arrived in Debrecen in the summer of 2022 and rapidly became a decisive member of the team.

Meldin Dreskovic proved to be a great sportsmen, who could be counted on in every situation. Overall, he made 63 appearances for Loki in the Hungarian first division. In spite of being a defender, he scored 5 goals, several of which were quite memorable, such as his away goal against Ferencváros (2-2) and his goal against Paks during the extra time in 2023 (2-1). We would like to thank Meldin Dreskovic for everything that he did for DVSC and wish him good luck!

DVSC signed the one-time Swedish international defender, Henrik Rönnlöf Castegren. The 28-year-old right-back has recently played for the first-division IK Sirius and from now on, he will strengthen Loki. Castegren was raised at Norrköping, before playing for the Swedish Sylvia and Degerfors. As a foreign player, he also tested himself at the Polish Lenchia Gdansk.

The experienced player made 126 appearances in the Swedish first division, scoring 5 goals and providing 6 assists. Last year, he also made his debut in the Swedish national team. Welcome to Loki!

DVSC started the year with a classic derby against Nyíregyháza at home in an intense atmosphere. In the first league match of the year, a lot of fans were waiting and cheering for the team in the snowy February weather as all of them knew what was at stake. Balázs Dzsudzsák was suspended, while Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik, Yacouba Silue, Thor Úlfarsson, Meldin Dreskovic and Jorgo Pellumbi were missing either due to an injury, illness or other reasons. Among the starting XI were the winter signings of DVSC, such as Krisztián Hegyi, Ádám Lang, Maximilian Hofmann, Amos Youga as well as the Brazilian striker Maurides besides Donát Bárány.

The match started with a balanced play and a lot of fight, then in the 8^th minute, Loki scored! Amos Youga made a great left-sided cross, after which Donát Bárány headed the ball into the right side of the goal from 7 meters (1-0).

In the 11^th minute, Krisztián Hegyi had to perform two brilliant saves in order to deny the close-range attempts of Nyíregyháza. In the 12^th minute, the guest team equalized after a corner: the ball bounced into the net off Maurides (1-1).

In the next minutes, players were fighting for each and every ball, so the match was eventful. In the 27^th minute, Kovácsréti shot into the defensive line from a close-range free-kick, then in the 31^st minute, Tóth saved the shot of Tamás Szűcs. Before the break, there were some dangerous attempts (in the 40^th minute, Soma Szuhodovszki shot just wide off the goal, then the goalkeeper saved the attempts of Brandon Domingues and Donát Bárány too), but the scoreline did not change.

At the beginning of the 2^nd half, Loki was dominating as our team pinned the opponent back several times, but no major chances emerged for a while. Half an hour before the end, János Ferenczi got injured while making a great tackle, thus, he had to be substituted. Botond Vajda came off the bench, then Kristiyan Malinov and Neven Djurasek also came on as substitutions.

At the beginning of the endgame, DVSC scored a second goal: in the 77^th minute, after some turmoil following a free-kick, Maurides calmly shot the ball into the left side of the goal from 12 meters (2-1). In the final minutes, Temesvári was sent off the pitch with a second yellow card and our Brazilian striker, Maurides, scored another goal after a great pass from Botond Vajda (3-1). Thus, DVSC could secure an important victory. Well done, guys!

The next match will be away against MTK on Friday.

According to the coach

Nestor El Maestro: We deserved the win as we were the better team. If the weather conditions were better, this match would be even greater. We were organized, we had the proper intensity, so I’m satisfied.

Krisztián Tímár: The match was played under difficult conditions, but in the first half, we adapted well. In the halftime, we discussed to press more actively, but unfortunately, we could not execute it. I think that we also had a match-winning chance, however, the second goal of Debrecen was decisive. I expect more from my team.

OTP Bank Liga, 18^th round.

DVSC-Nyíregyháza 3-1 (1-1).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 8011 spectators. Referee: Bogár G.

DVSC: Hegyi – Szécsi, Lang, Hofmann, Ferenczi (Vajda, 68.) – Szűcs T. (Malinov, 75.), Youga, Szuhodovszki (Djurasek, 75.), Domingues – Bárány (Kocsis G., 91.), Maurides. Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.

Nyíregyháza: Tóth B. – Temesvári, Korrea, Jokic (Keresztes, 86.) – Navratil (Benczenleitner, 76.), Toma, Keita, Nagy B. – Nagy D. (Deacolu, 58.), Kovácsréti – Babic (Medved, 58.). Head coach: Krisztián Tímár.

Goal: Bárány (8.), Maurides (77., 90.) as well as Maurides (own goal, 12.).

Yellow card: Bárány (23.), Hofmann (83.) as well as Temesvári (72., 88.), Keita (76.), Jokic (80.).

Dismissal: Temesvári (88.).

DVSC signed Maurides Roque Junior on loan. He arrived in Debrecen from the German Bundesliga team, FC St. Pauli. The 30-year-old Brazilian striker has only played in one match in the German top division this season, however, he is a highly skilled and goal-scoring forward.

Maurides started his professional career at the Brazilian Internacional, before moving to Portugal, where he played for Arouca, Figueirense and Belenenses. In the Portugese league, he played in 77 matches, scoring 19 goals and providing 8 assists. Following this, he was signed by the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia. In Bulgaria, he delivered an impressive performance, scoring 9 goals in 21 matches under the management of our current head coach Nestor El Maestro at that time. In 2019, the Chinese club Changchun Yatai paid over 2 million euros for him. After a stint at the South Korean Anyang, he returned to Europe. In the colours of the Polish first-division Radomiak, he scored 9 goals in 47 matches in the Ekstralasa.

In 2023, the 189 cm tall forward was signed by the German St. Pauli, which was competing in the second-division at that time. However, injuries held him back, which prevented him of playing a role in the team’s championship winning campaign and promotion to the first league. Since then, the physically impressive Maurides has gained back his strength and even if only for one match, managed to make his debut in Bundesliga 1. Now, he is ready to help Loki with his goals. Welcome to our team!

DVSC signed the 18-year-old, youth national team player Mátyás Vidnyánszky, who was born in Debrecen. He arrived in Debrecen from the U19 team of the Slovakian DAC. The young player, as part of a cooperation agreement with Mezőkövesd, will most likely spend the spring season with the NB II team for further development.

The talented midfielder made his debut in the second division at a very young age. In the 2022/23 season, he played in 18 matches in the colours of Szentlőrinc, scoring 2 goals. In fact, the home goal in the Hungarian-Scottish U19 match (1-2) in October of last year came from a shot by Mátyás Vidnyányszky.

DVSC played the last practice match in the Turkish training camp on Friday against the Serbian Radnicki 1923, which was occupying the 5^th place in the table in the Serbian first division. Among the starting XI of Loki were Ádám Lang, Maximilian Hofmann and Amos Youga from the new signings.

In the 3^rd minute of the match, Balázs Megyeri made a save, after which mainly Loki was dominating. In the 8^th minute, Balázs Dzsudzsák shot from 15 meters, but the goalkeeper saved it and after that, no big chances were created at either of the goals. Periodically, Radnicki had more possession of the ball, but our team’s defence worked well. Loki managed to take the lead before the break: at the end a great attack, Donát Bárány, who had just come on as a substitute, turned away and scored from 16 meters (1-0).

At the beginning of the second half, the Serbian goalkeeper made a brilliant save to deny Balázs Dzsudzsák’s curl. At times, our team was dominating and led several nice attacks. In the 61^st minute, Dominik Kocsis shot wide off the goal after a dribble, the in the 68^th minute, our opponent equalized with a shot from Bevis (1-1). In the endgame, the goalkeeper punched out Botond Vajda’s shot, but on the other side, Radnicki scored in the last minute.

Our team will travel back from Turkey on Saturday, and next Sunday the first league match of the year will take place.

Practice match.

DVSC-Radnicki (Serbian) 1-2 (1-0).

DVSC: Megyeri – Lang, Dreskovic (Bárány, 38.), Hofmann (Kocsis G., 78.) – Szécsi, Youga, Szuhodovszki (Vajda, 63.), Szűcs T., Ferenczi – Dzsudzsák (Djurasek, 63.), Kocsis D (Shedrach, 78.). Head coach: Nestor El Maestro.

Goals: Bárány (45.) as well as Bevis (68.), Balde (89.).