FOOTBALL NB I
ROUND 29
Újpest FC–MTK 1–2 (Csoboth 20., ill. Jurina 79., 90+7.)
Budapest, Szusza Ferenc Stadium, 3276 viewer. Led by: Quantity
You can follow the online broadcast of the meeting by clicking here.
Újpest had something to repay. The purple and whites have scored nine goals in their last two matches, and they have won only one of their last five domestic meetings, although Géza Mészöly was not on the bench during the 2-1 defeat against Debrecen. Since the change of ownership, the Újpest fans have been creating a good atmosphere in the Szusza Ferenc Stadium, and they would certainly be happy if the team rewarded their support with victories, goals and good play. Let’s say, from this point of view, MTK was not the most grateful opponent. The blue and whites were looking forward to Sunday’s clash with five unbeaten league matches behind them, and they have already blanked Újpest twice this season, winning 2-0 away in September and 3-0 at home in February.
Now, after twenty minutes, the ice was broken, and in April 2022, i.e. after two years, Újpest scored again against MTK. After Matija Ljujic’s excellent recognition of the situation Csoboth Kevin he shot the ball into the goal. The twenty-three-year-old winger had a noticeable problem with his self-confidence recently, but this time he finished the action very confidently and mercilessly. If he performed like this regularly, he would have a good chance of being included in the national team’s European Championship squad. In any case, there were no complaints about his play in the first half. So much so that he almost had an assist shortly after taking the lead. This time, he teased Matija Ljujic at a good pace, but the Serbian midfielder finished the attack a bit lightly, flicked the ball past the goalkeeper, and then shot just past the bottom left corner. Based on the situations, the home team could have led by as many as three goals after one half, but at times they played football too casually, which did not seem like life insurance with a one-goal lead.
Not even that the guests did not have a single major opportunity in the first forty-five minutes. At the beginning of the second half, MTK had much more of the ball, they won most of the duels in the midfield, but this in itself proved to be not enough. The players from Újpest played football better individually and with more enthusiasm. In addition to Csoboth and Ljujics, it is also worth highlighting Tamás Kiss, who was a starter for the first time since Mészöly managed the team. With his speed, he was also able to cause confusion on the right side at times, and even almost scored a goal in the tenth minute, but Demjén Patrik brilliantly saved his close shot. This time again, István Bognár was creative with the guests, and we know that he is capable of a flash at any time. This also happened in the 59th minute, when Krisztián Németh found the net from a pass after a nice ball, but the referee, with the help of VAR, disallowed the goal due to a handshake. On the other hand, it was felt that with one or two quick passes, the Újpest defense could be confused in a flash, which was not on top of the situation this time either.
Neither did Dávid Banai, who proved to be powerless before MTK’s equalizing goal, although if he was a little more decisive, the substitute would hardly find the net. Marin Jurina. The one who doubled, turned the match around, so MTK won three times out of three against Újpest. 1–2