E.ON Ob I: Fradi is 13/13, total 21/21
Similar to last year's championship final, FTC-Telekom secured a smooth victory against Vasas-Plaket – a five-goal lead at halftime proved to be more than enough to win the match; with this, Fradi maintains a perfect record of 21/21 this season, heading towards the cup final.
The E.ON men's championship has reached its halfway point: the final matches of the year proceeded without surprises, with all home teams winning in all seven encounters.
In a clash of two Champions League group stage teams, the home team Fradi displayed their usual form. Vasas kept up until 5-4, when Tóth Martin scored to narrow the gap early in the second quarter – however, the defending champions produced a 5-1 streak before halftime, effectively deciding the match in two quarters by taking a 10-5 lead. In the third quarter, there were five minutes where the greens couldn't score, while the hosts from Angyalföld did so twice; however, they only managed to make it 11-7; before the final segment, the score was already 13-7, with goals from Vámos Márton and Varga Vince. With this victory, FTC remains unbeaten in 21 matches – considering only this year's games; combined with last year, the record is 61-1, showcasing an even more dominant performance.
After 13 rounds, it is surprising to see Szolnok and OSC leading the standings, ahead of Vasas, Honvéd, and BVSC. Szolnok defeated Szentest with the leadership of Kovács Gergő, who scored four goals this time. OSC, to some surprise, struggled against newcomers from Debrecen. Despite leading 6-2 and later 8-4, the hosts faced tough competition as the visitors managed to score two goals in the third quarter, followed by another early in the fourth, reducing the gap to 8-7. Just before a potential upset, OSC's standout Dutch player, Lars ten Broek, scored a crucial goal to calm the nerves, but soon after, Debrecen scored again, making it 9-8. The visitors had two opportunities to equalize, but couldn't pose a serious threat. Finally, within 43 seconds, OSC settled the three-point fate with Baksa Benedek's free throw and ten Broek's 6th goal.
The other matches did not provide as much excitement, but goals were abundant. The biggest drama unfolded in the Kaposvár–Eger match, where the teams reached a total of 35 goals, with the last quarter ending 8-5, a testament to solid defense. BVSC inflicted a heavy defeat on Pécs, scoring 19 goals, and Honvéd also reached 17 against UVSE – while Szeged comfortably beat Miskolc with two strong quarters.
The BENU Hungarian Cup final four will take place next weekend, followed by national team duties as the World Cup qualifiers approach; E.ON Ob I resumes on January 22.
E.ON Men's Ob I, Round 13
FTC-Telekom–Vasas-Plaket 16-10
Szolnoki Dózsa-Praktiker–Metalcom-Szentes 13-8
Endo Plus Service-Honvéd–UVSE 17-8
Szegedi VE–PannErgy-Miskolc 14-7
Genesys-OSC Újbuda–DVSE-Master Good 11-8
BVSC-Manna ABC–PVSK-Mecsek Füszért 19-6
Standings at halfway point:
1. FTC 39, 2. Szolnok 33, 3. OSC 31, 4. Vasas 29, 5. Honvéd 27, 6. BVSC 26, 7. Szeged 19 (12 matches), 8. Kaposvár 16, 9. Szentes 15 (12), 10. Eger 9, 11. UVSE 9, 12. Miskolc 8, 13. PVSK 5, 14. DVSE 4
