E.ON Ob I: impressive point for Szeged against BVSC at home, here are the penalty shootouts
A major achievement for Szeged who took a point from BVSC, the team shining in the European Cup arena, at home in the third round of the E.ON Ob I. Up until now, it was necessary to wait for the penalty shootouts introduced this year in the Hungarian championship to decide the outcome of a draw – and immediately three matches ended in shootouts in three different locations, leading Pécs to victory over Kaposvár and Miskolc over Debrecen. With one exception – Vasas knocked out Eger – all matches were intense battles, with OSC also defeating Kaposvár in the final minutes, but the most valuable victory was achieved by Szolnok against Honvéd at home, winning the last seven minutes with a 3-0 score.
When Szeged led 3-1 after the first eight minutes at Szőnyi út, the situation did not seem so dire from BVSC's perspective. By halftime, at 2-6, the virtual emergency lights were already flashing, and in the third quarter, Varga Dániel's team started to pick up the pace. However, the Szeged team consistently found some kind of response, scoring even at 5-7, and finally, with 16 seconds left before the final quarter, Tátrai Dávid set the score at 6-8 for the closing stage.
Then in the fourth quarter, the defenses excelled for a long time, with missed opportunities on both sides, until after four and a half minutes, Tátrai scored again from action, bringing the guests' lead down to one goal after a long time. And after substitute goalie Korom Dániel made saves again in the second half, BVSC went for the equalizer and finally achieved it through Erik Bundshuch's action goal, leaving 2:34 remaining in the game. The Szeged team did not falter, converting their next man-up situation to a goal by Nagy Márton, putting BVSC under pressure again. To their credit, they capitalized on the last opportunity delivered by Kovács Péter, an extra-man situation sent into the net by Konarik Ákos, 40 seconds before the final whistle. The Tisza-side team also managed to earn a man-up play after a timeout, but Sánta Dániel failed to convert at the very end, leaving the decision to penalties.
In the shootout, the home team was much more accurate - although Ekler Zsombor struggled during the match, he did not miss here, unlike Szeged's sharpshooter, Leinweber Olivér, who also faltered during the match which ultimately decided the fate of the second point.
Incidentally, for the first time in the history of the Hungarian championship and the OB I, the penalty shootouts decided the outcome of a regular season match in Debrecen this year, as the "no draws" rule introduced in international competition is also in effect in the domestic leagues. The newcomer fought tremendously against Miskolc, coming back from a three-goal deficit, and even led at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Then the visitors scored two goals, but the Debrecen team forced penalties with 17 seconds remaining. However, it was slightly in favor of Miskolc, although only slightly, as the goalkeepers made saves five times in the first three rounds, with Grieszbacher Márk making one extra save. Accordingly, the two points went to Miskolc.
The evening matches also brought intense battles. In the clash between the two teams battling in the Euro Cup at Kőér utca, Szolnok jumped ahead in the first quarter and from then on forced Honvéd into a chase. Schmölcz Norman excelled for the visitors, regularly scoring during the back-and-forth of the second quarter, so at halftime, Dózsa was still leading (5-6). In the third quarter, the two sides grappled fiercely for six minutes before Sugár Péter equalized with an action goal, but a quick response came with Schmölcz scoring from an extra man situation, and then following a missed Honvéd advantage, Krisztián Bedő also scored, giving Szolnok a two-goal lead. However, Hessels Benjámin managed to beautify the score in the final seconds. Bencz Rolf, less efficient than usual compared to the European Cup matches, finally scored, immediately leveling the score to 8-8, and even 39 seconds later, Szépfalvi Gergely's marvelous center goal gave Honvéd the lead for the first time. Following such a fantastic start, hardly anyone thought that the hosts would not score more goals in the remaining seven minutes – but that's what happened. Józsa Ottó excelled in the Dózsa goal, as did the defense, making it inevitable that the tables would turn up front sooner or later. Finally, Bedő equalized from an extra man situation with 3:17 remaining before the closure, and then followed by Donát Simon also finding the net in the five-meter line, at 1:11, and Lóránd Zerinváry's action goal 16 seconds before the final whistle only confirmed Hangay's team's victory.
An even fiercer battle took place between OSC and Kaposvár. Turnover followed by turnover, from 4-2 to 4-5, then 7-5, and after 9-7, the Somogy team scored two goals in the final minute before the last break, starting the final quarter from 9-9.
After Aranyi Máté scored his fourth goal, Marcell Bede also netted his fourth goal, and then Tamás Gyárfás scored an extra man goal to bring the Nyéki-based Balázs Hárai, in an unusual fashion, back to a draw from a free-throw. With 3:38 left after 11-11, following a missed extra man opportunity on both sides, OSC got one last chance and made use of it: Péter Szalai decided the match with 15 seconds left before the final whistle.
A similar scenario played out in the match between Szentes and Pécs. The hosts led for a long time, but three minutes before the end, the Kurca-side team took the lead for the first time at 9-10. However, Szilárd Kókai not only earned but also scored an extra man opportunity with 21 seconds left before the finish. Szentes still had an eight-second advantage at the end, but they couldn't get the ball past the goalkeeper, meaning that in the third match of the round, the penalty shootouts decided the outcome. Eight rounds were needed for the decision, and finally, with a missed penalty, Pécs secured the two points.
The only straightforward encounter of the game day was the Vasas vs. Eger match: the team from Angyalföld warmed up for next week's Champions League start with a smooth victory. Well, the beginning was a bit shaky because Eger led 3-2 after eight minutes - but then Vasas surged, completing the next three quarters with an 11-2 score.
E.ON Ob I, 3rd Round
DVSE-Master Good–PannErgy Miskolc 9-9, penalty shootout: 2-3
BVSC-Manna ABC–Szegedi VE 9-9, penalty shootout: 5-3
PVSK-Mecsek Füszért–Metalcom-Szentes 10-10, penalty shootout: 8-7
Endo Plus Service-Honvéd–Szolnoki Dózsa Praktiker 9-11
The FTC–UVSE match will be played later.
