Hungary’s futsal team reached Euros and are now preparing for the next qualifiers
2016 will be remembered for the Hungarian national futsal team appearing at the European Championship. The team played against a clutch of top sides during the year but fell short of springing a surprise.
Hungary have appeared in three out of ten futsal European Championships to date, qualifying in 2005 and 2016 and hosting in 2010. Sito Rivera’s side were drawn against future winners Spain as well as a strong Ukraine side in Belgrade. The team played well but was unable to record any points, succumbing 5-2 to Spain and 6-3 to the Ukraine, with Zoltán Dróth – one of the continent’s top players – scoring four of the team’s five goals.
Following on from the European Championship the team had a World Cup qualifying double-header against Italy, another of Europe’s top sides. The first leg in Miskolc saw Hungary hold the two-time European Champions until half-time but eventually fall to a 3-0 defeat. Without the suspended Zoltán Dróth in the second leg in Prato the match proved a formality for the hosts who racked up a 6-0 victory. Having failed to make the World Cup in Colombia, attentions then turned to the 2018 European Championship which is being held in Slovenia.
The autumn saw the team victorious for the first time in the 14 year-old Visegrád Four tournament, with the U21 team also triumphing in their competition in Humenné, Slovakia. Hungary completed the year with double defeats against Croatia and Spain. The qualification draw for Slovenia sees the team take part in Azerbaijan alongside the hosts, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as preliminary qualification round group D winners. Sito Rivera brought a number of new, young players into the team during 2016 and a number of them will be knocking on the door for a place in the squad as April and the qualifiers approach.
Futsal national team results in 2016:
Dunaújváros, Hungary 4-1 Lebanon (friendly, 22nd January)
Dunaújváros, Hungary 4-2 Lebanon (friendly, 23rd January)
Belgrád, Aréna, Spain 5-2 Hungary (European Championship, 2nd February)
Belgrád, Aréna, Hungary 3-6 Ukraine (European Championship, 4th February)
Miskolc, Hungary 2-0 Netherlands (friendly, 15th March)
Miskolc, Hungary 0-3 Italy (World Cup qualifier, 22nd March)
Prato, Italy 6-0 Hungary (World Cup qualifier, 13th April)
Cavalese, Italy 3-1 Hungary (friendly, 24th August)
Cavalese, Italy 4-1 Hungary (friendly, 25th August)
Humenné, Poland 1-3 Hungary (Visegrád Four, 23rd September)
Humenné, Slovakia 3-2 Hungary (Visegrád Four, 24th September)
Humenné, Hungary 4-3 Czechia (Visegrád Four, 25th September)
Zalaegerszeg, Hungary 0-4 Croatia (friendly, 1st November)
Zalaegerszeg, Hungary 2-4 Croatia (friendly, 2nd November)
Nyíregyháza, Hungary 1-5 Spain (friendly, 5th December)
Nyíregyháza, Hungary 1-6 Spain (friendly, 6th December)
Source: MLSZ
