As is known, our U17 team finished second behind Juventus at the Puskás-Suzuki Cup, after losing 2–0 to the Turin side on Monday evening. After the final whistle we asked head coach Márton Bogdánfi about the lessons of the tournament and the events of the final.
"It was a real roller coaster of a match. We were searching for our own game and I felt I could not really help the boys, even though I wanted to give them a lot of information, because Juventus surprised us and they could barely hear me. Once we were able to make changes, the picture of the game changed as well. I felt we could get hold of them, but unfortunately we conceded an unlucky goal. Even so, we kept pushing, our play was going well and we earned a penalty, but we missed it, and immediately afterwards Juventus got a penalty of their own, which really knocked the team back. From that point on we would have needed something extra that unfortunately we no longer had in us" – our young coach assessed the match.
"It was a fantastic feeling to have the most wonderful supporters in the country behind us. It was an unforgettable experience for both the boys and me. We were already motivated, but we want to experience moments like this again. This is what makes the work worthwhile!" – he added, before also highlighting the tournament's biggest positive.
"I saw that the boys were willing to crawl through the mud for this shirt and this club. They left everything on the pitch and fought until their last breath. After the Real Madrid match, there was one player who practically had to be carried off the pitch and another who cried for fifteen minutes. They lived through their emotions, fought for one another and did everything for success. That was the most wonderful thing about these four days." – he added.
Final standings of the Puskás-Suzuki Cup:
1. Juventus
2. Budapest Honvéd FC
3. Slavia Praha
4. Panathinaikosz
5. Real Madrid
6. Sporting CP
7. KRC Genk
8. PAFC
A decisive league match awaits our U17 side this weekend. On Saturday, May 10, at 10:00 we host Vasas Kubala Academy at the MFA, and if we win, we will retake first place in the table on points lost.
