A piece of sporting history awaited our team, as the clash against Kecskemét that had been 'abandoned' in August did not begin with a conventional kick-off but with a 40-metre free-kick, starting from the 28th minute. Compared with our most recent league match – understandably – on a weekday nowhere near as many supporters from Kispest were able to accompany our team, in which Tamás Feczkó made two changes. Ferenc Ujváry was given his first opportunity in a competitive match, while Pinte also started. For the home side, who had knocked Újpest out of the Hungarian Cup, Krisztián Tímár sent out the same team.
Our side created the first serious chance in the 34th minute. After Szamosi was fouled, Zuigeber took the resulting free-kick but fired over the goal. The first half ended with a Kecskemét free-kick: after Banó-Szabó's delivery, Belényesi headed the ball into the hands of the well-positioned Tujvel. The teams noticeably stepped up the tempo in the second half. First Csontos sent a free-kick over, then after an attack by the purple-and-whites the ball trickled only just wide of the left post. After 55 minutes we put together an excellent attack down the left, and following Hangya's cross Ujváry had a chance, but the Kecskemét defenders got there at the last moment. In the 62nd minute we again came close to taking the lead: Hangya was once more played in with excellent timing on the left before crossing, and Zuigeber missed the delivery by mere millimetres. Then, in the 69th minute, essentially out of nowhere, after Csontos handled the ball inside the penalty area – although Tujvel guessed the right way – Péter Beke gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot (1–0). We continued to have the upper hand – as we had throughout the match – but errors repeatedly crept into the final action, so Kecskemét kept all three points at home. In the next round, on Sunday at 19:00, we host Békéscsaba at the Bozsik Arena.
MERKANTIL BANK LIGA 2025/26, ROUND 6
Kecskeméti TE–BUDAPEST HONVÉD FC 1–0 (0–0)
Kecskemét, Széktói Stadium. Referee: Márton Rúsz (Balázs Szalay, Ákos Berényi).
Kecskemét: Varga – Győrfi (Szojma, 73.), Szabó A., Debreceni Á. (Czékus, 73.), Belényesi – Haris (Bocskay, 59.), Kovács B., Bolgár – Banó-Szabó (Derekas, 89.), Beke, Pálinkás G. Head coach: Krisztián Tímár
HONVÉD: Tujvel – Ujváry (Somogyi, 81.), Csonka (Kállai, 81.), Baki, Csontos, Hangya – Szamosi Á., Pekár – Zuigeber (Kántor, 70.), Pinte (Ihrig-Farkas, 86.), Medgyes. Head coach: Tamás Feczkó
G: Beke (69. – penalty).
