Hungarian League, Round 4: Five out of six fixtures end in victories for the visitors – Photos, Videos

A remarkable weekend in NBI saw five out of six fixtures end in victories for the visitors with only title favourites Ferencváros failing to win. Indeed, there wasn’t a single goal scored by any home team! Here, we round up all the action.

Thomas Doll named an unchanged Ferencváros lineup following last week’s 6-2 home win over Diosgyőr but the goals dried up away at Paks despite several presentable opportunities in the opening minutes. The hosts worked their way back into the game but this only resulted in both teams cancelling each other in a largely attritional match thereafter. The eventual goalless draw maintains Fradi’s unbeaten record and takes them a point clear at the top of the league, but they lose their 100% winning start to the season.

In the first of the series of away wins this weekend Budapest Honvéd comfortably took three points away from the city of Miskolc thanks to two confidently-struck penalties at either end of the first half from striker Márton Eppel. Hosts Diósgyőr couldn’t find a way back and Márk Koszta’s late, pinpoint free-kick put the seal on a 3-0 success which propels Marco Rossi’s side into third spot in the fledgling league table.

Budapest, Vasas – Újpest FC

Ferencváros’ draw earlier on Saturday had given their Budapest rivals Vasas the chance to go clear at the top of NBI but they spurned the opportunity at home against another capital-city team, Újpest, who recorded their second consecutive win. Both sides missed chances throughout an open ninety minutes but the points were only won deep in the second-half when visiting substitute Enis Bardhi scored to secure single-goal glory for Nebojsa Vignjevic’s team who now lie in 5th position, three points behind Vasas who remain in 2nd.

Budapest, Újpest fans

At the other end of the table, winless Gyirmót’s woes continued as they remain in pursuit of their first league win of their first top-tier season. Moreover, István Urbányi’s injury-hit squad now have to recover from a four-nil home thumping by last season’s runners-up Videoton who shrugged off last week’s UEFA Europa League exit to move up to 9th and get their NBI season back on track. After a goalless first half recently-retired Hungary international defender Roland Juhász put Vidi in front early in the second half against the team from near Győr who were missing eight regulars through injury before Danko Lazovic scored his first goal in Hungarian football just before the hour mark. The visitors slowed the tempo thereafter but still managed to score two more through Máté Patkai and Róbert Feczesin to post a handsome victory.

Gyirmót are only being kept from last spot by MTK Budapest who lost 2-0 at their temporary home of Dunaujváros against Haladás. Neither team had won yet this season so a win would be especially important to both teams but the hosts failed to grab the initiative, János Hegedűs putting ‘Hali’ ahead in the 39th minute. Australian striker Joel Williams then extended the lead in the second period, in reply to which MTK could do nothing of note, thereby handing a maiden win of 2016/2017 to Géza Mészöly’s team.

Dunaújváros, MTK- Haladás

The final game of the weekend involved the other promoted team Mezőkövesd at home to a Debrecen team revitalised under returning head coach András Herczeg, the three points heading away with the latter courtesy of Krisztián Kuti’s early-second-half winner and despite Tibor Tisza’s 61st-minute dismissal which left Loki with just ten men for the last half-hour of the contest. Debrecen now find themselves in 4th place while Attila Pintér’s side slip to eighth, still surely a satisfactory position for a team playing in just their second-ever season of top-flight football.

Next weekend sees the top two face each other as Vasas visit the Groupama Aréna to play Ferencváros. Elsewhere, Újpest host Gyirmót, Mezőkövesd travel to Felcsút to play Videoton in the Pancho Aréna, Debrecen entertain MTK, Honvéd are home to Paks and Diosgyőr make the trip to Szombathelyi to take on Haladás.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI