Hungarian season starts with exciting draw in Eternal Derby – Highlights
Hungary’s OTP Bank Liga started the new season in style as newly-promoted MTK Budapest recovered from the loss of former Hungary international Ádám Pintér – injured in the warm-up – to secure a 1-1 draw at home against city rivals and reigning champions Ferencváros.
The fixture, Hungary’s most-oft-played and known domestically as the ‘Eternal Derby’, turned out to be an exciting affair with plenty of goalmouth action early on.
The hosts’ Dániel Gera scored the first goal of the 2020/21 campaign when he slid in at the back post to convert Myke Ramos’ low, left-wing cross in the 35th minute but Tokmac Nguen equalised just before the hour mark with an elegant finish from the left side of the penalty area, across the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner of the MTK net.
The visitors pushed hard for a winner in the final stages but MTK goalkeeper Milan Mijatovic was impressive on his debute and Nguen could only shoot wide when well placed, thus both sides claimed a deserved point. Hungary’s domestic league is one of the earliest in Europe to start the new season after the worldwide coronavirus pandemic forced an extended conclusion to the previous campaign.
OTP Bank Liga, 1st round:
MTK Budapest 1–1 Ferencvárosi TC (HT 1–0)
Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion, ref.: Solymosi
Goalscorers: MTK: Gera (37.), FTC: Nguen (59.)
Yellow cards: MTK: Baki (15.), FTC: Boli (56.)
MTK Budapest: Mijatovic – Balázs B., Nagy, Baki, Herrera – Cseke, Mezei (Kata, 88.), Katona – Gera D. (Palincsár, 79.), Ramos (Bíró, 79.), Schön
Ferencváros: Dibusz – Botka, Blazic, Dvali, Civic – Haratin (Somália, 79.), Sigér – Laidouni (Uzuni, 46.), Isael (Varga R., 72.), Nguen – Boli