After the victory against Győr (3-0), another away game was ahead of our team, playing against Kecskemét on Friday. The technical staff could not count on Erik Kusnyir, Bence Batik, Thor Úlfarsson and Neven Djurasek, who were all returning from injuries. Among the starting XI were Meldin Dreskovic and Soma Szuhodovszki.

At the very beginning of the match, Loki had more possession, while the home team concentrated on being organized in defence, taking the ball and starting quick attacks. Our team stick to the usual tactical way of build-up and play, and made quick counter-attacks when necessary, but still, there were a lot of inaccuracies. In the 10^th minute, Kecskemét had their first chance, but the close-range shot of Katona was blocked in the last second. The home team had several corner-kicks in this period of the game, but they didn’t score.

By the middle of the first half, DVSC took control of the match and took the lead in the 19^th minute. Brandon Domingues fought for the ball in the forefront of the box, he dribbled and shot the ball to the top right corner of the goal from 19 meters (0-1). Thus, our winger scored a goal in Kecskemét, just as he did in Győr.

In the remaining time of the first half, it was our team that mostly controlled the game. There were a lot of duels and some minor chances, but neither of the teams could create huge opportunities. However, in the 45^th minute, Kersák made a brilliant save to deny the header of Meldin Dreskovic, but then Kecskemét equalized during the extra time. Vágó decided to shoot from 20 meters to the centre and the ball flew unstoppable under the crossbar (1-1).

Márk Szécsi and Tamás Szűcs came on as substitutes for the second half and the fight sharpened. In the 49^th minute, Pálinkás hit the crossbar from a few meters, but it was our team that scored in the 53^rd minute. After a practiced corner-kick variation, Balázs Dzsudzsák passed to János Ferenczi, who blasted the ball into the left side of the goal. However, the referee disallowed the goal at first for some mysterious reasons. According to the VAR, a foul has been committed during the action. After this, VAR took the main role and János Ferenczi got a yellow card following a collision, which was later upgraded to red. Thus, Loki continued the match with one man down.

For the last 30 minutes, Victor Braga came on to substitute Balázs Dzsudzsák, so he made his first debut in Loki. Our team heroically tried to withstand the home side’s attacks. In the 71^st minute, Pálinkás headed wide off the goal, then Yacouba came on and made a good impact. During the high tension in the final minutes, our team held on to the draw, securing a valuable point away from home, even with 10 men.

Reactions of the managers

István Szabó: Our tactics worked well, but we conceded a goal in the first half, which was actually beautiful. However, we had our chances and equalized. In the second half, we played football in a good spirit, but we missed a little extra to win the game.

Srdjan Blagojevic: It was a dramatic match. We didn’t see too much quality on the pitch. Our team’s performance was weak, which was enough for securing only one point. Considering the circumstances, our play and the two VAR situations, fighting was the only option left to us. We did fight after the red card, so I would like to praise my players for that. They are also aware of the fact that if we want to fight for bigger goals, we have to play more bravely and take responsibility. I expect more from my team and I’m waiting for the reaction of the team during the next game. I like the fighting spirit that we showed while playing with one man down.

OTP Bank Liga, round 3.

Kecskemét-DVSC 1-1 (1-1).

Kecskemét, 3835 spectators. Referee: Csonka.

Kecskemét: Kersák – Szabó A., Belényesi, Katona L. – Vágó, Meskhi (Helmich, 46.) – Májer (Zsótér, 73.), Nikitscher (Lukács, 93.), Kovács B., (Nagy K., 73.), Zeke – Pálinkás. Head coach: Szabó István.

DVSC: Megyeri – Stojkovic, Dreskovic, Pellumbi, Ferenczi – Lagator, Szuhodovszki (Szűcs T., 46.) – Vajda (Szécsi, 46.), Dzsudzsák (Victor Braga, 63.), Domingues (Shaghoyan, 90.) – Bárány (Silue, 76.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Goal: Vágó (45+3.) as well as Domingues (19.).