Glorious Victory in Rijeka, overcoming a 15-goal deficit

After an exhausting 14-hour journey, the Hungarian team arrived in Rijeka from Naples - eight and a half hours by train to Venice (which was not the plan but due to a flight change by Ryanair the entire group was transferred from the morning flight to the evening flight), and then five and a half hours by bus (should have been five, but the driver got the address wrong...) - despite this, there was no sign of fatigue in the players' performance.

On the other hand, the hosts spared no effort for the match in Rijeka - unlike the winter friendly match when they fielded an experimental lineup in Zagreb, this time they sent out all their aces; there were some changes in our lineup compared to the Napoli game.

The match started with a save by Csoma, followed by a counter-foul - whistled by Croatian referees - and in the second round, Burián Gergő played a great pass to Kovács Péter in center, who slotted in the opening goal.

Then came a Croatian man-up situation, but Csoma Kristóf showcased two incredible saves, while Burián scored again, this time five against four. A brutal block ended the following man-down, but then the home team's newcomer, Akrap, finally broke the home goal drought halfway through the quarter, scoring between two of our defenders from close range. Nonetheless, our newcomer, Szécsi Marcell, caused a man-up, and after two assists by Burián, he easily shot into the top corner.

However, the Croatians found their rhythm in the following minutes, along with an antidote for Csoma, scoring three goals in succession twice from action and once from a man-up, while we missed our third advantage. Fortunately, we managed to break down their next advantage, and Jansik Szilárd scored from the outside, 31 seconds before the period ended, resulting in a 4-4 tie.

Bijac took a breather, as the world-class goalkeeper had had enough of saving shots in the evening sun by then (it was practically right in his eyes).

Popadic didn't fare any better, although the first ball of our man-up situation was blocked, Nagy Ádám found the bottom left corner on the second attempt. Then, another superb block on the defensive, resulting in Vince Vigvári scoring on the break. We successfully killed off two more disadvantages excellently, within about a minute, while on the other end, Marcell Szécsi celebrated his first national team appearance with a fantastic center goal, helping us pull ahead by three in just over three minutes (4-7).

We couldn't avoid the fifth deficit, as Brubnjak found the net from the wing, although Csoma got a hand to it. Nagy Ádám scored again with a delicate placement, leaving no chance for the goalkeeper. It could have been closer, but in the next play, Popadic blocked Fekete's shot, however, Butic found the open lane this time, closing the gap to 6-8 with two minutes left before halftime. There was even a counter-attack, then another home man-up- their seventh of the match in this half - which they converted from the wing. However, we also earned an advantage, and Vince Vigvári once again found the corner with a pinpoint shot, making it 7-9 at halftime.

While Bijac returned, being sunburnt only on the back of his neck after the change of ends, Csoma Kristóf had to stay on guard for just a few more minutes. He saved the first but not the second shot – although it was not entirely his fault to give up a shot from that angle. The coaching staff was not pleased.

Despite being behind, our passing was precise, and we managed to kill off a disadvantage before finding a solution for Vince Vigvári to squeeze in a cross-pass. Unfortunately, a Croatian goal from a block in the next man-up situation ended with a deflection off Tátrai Dávid's block, resulting in a slim lead of 9-10.

They didn't award a penalty for Manhercz's individual effort, despite a clear example of a foul from behind. Nevertheless, we started an outstanding defensive play, and Nagy Ádám completed a magnificent shot from a counter. It's a shame that in the advantage Szécsi earned, Fekete twice found Bijac's hands (both times the rebound as well) - which could have brought us to a three-goal advantage. Then it happened - mostly due to Csoma Kristóf who made three huge saves in a double disadvantage, earning applause from the Rijeka fans. On the other end, Burián fired an accurate shot with great timing, out of reach for Bijac; the Croatians started to feel uncertain, hitting the crossbar from another man-up situation, leaving us in a comfortable 9-12 lead before the final eight minutes.

It was clear that if we could maintain the lead (with a man-up advantage of 9/7 on our side - 17/4 for them...), we would have good chances to secure the victory.

This lead was further extended by Vince Vigvári - who had ups and downs until then but scored a fantastic goal from the wing off the post. The hosts were starting to show signs of fatigue, and after a timeout, we attacked for an additional five-goal advantage - unfortunately, Popadic managed to get to Fekete's shot, but Csoma also made a save (with the sun already down). The Croatians were visibly struggling, and three minutes before the end, Butic tangled with Fekete, then Vrlic fouled Vigvári Vendel, resulting in their ejections; at this point, Coach Tucak also walked over to Coach Varga to calm down their players. This settled things for a while, and although Vince Vigvári missed the advantage, we didn't have to fear the hosts pushing too hard for an equalizer at 9-14.

Jansik then blocked a shot in a man-down situation, and after an impulsive shot from young Vigvári following a counter-attack, Butic's shot eventually deflected off Csoma's hand, the first goal for them after six minutes in the quarter. Towards the end, our man-up play lost some of its edge, racking up two more misses, while Brubnjak scored a beautiful goal, over the head from the wing, but we still held a three-goal lead, which was safe.

The Croatians tried a last-minute push with six attackers with 28 seconds left, but it didn't work out (Fatovic had a poor shooting night, closing 11/1), and due to a deflection by the goalkeeper during our free throw, we could have taken a penalty shot, but Jansik Szili couldn't capitalize, well, it happens. The Rijeka players had something to be happy about, while we returned home with a 14-11 victory.

Coach Zsolt Varga

"Yesterday was a truly challenging day due to the journey, but it is exactly in the face of such difficulties that a team's character is revealed. The players deserve every praise because they responded to the whole situation with humor, and today there was no trace of what they went through yesterday. They worked well in the morning two-goalkeeper practice session, and played superbly in the match.

There were many disadvantages to overcome, but one must be prepared for such situations, as they are likely to occur again. It's important to maintain balance both in defense and attack. I believe the players made a series of good decisions today, overall much more than the Croatians, and that was the difference. The higher we can maintain this level, the more successful we will be. In this fast-paced game, they need to make quick decisions more often, based on limited information - today they chose many good solutions, in defense and attack, the blocks, accurate shots showed this. Obviously, this is still early in preparation, but it's important that we can carry as many good experiences with us as possible, what worked here, what was positive, we will incorporate - and carry forward on the long journey."

Preparation Match, Rijeka

Croatia - Hungary 11-14 (4-4, 3-5, 2-3, 2-2)

Our Goals: Nagy Ádám 3, Vigvári Vince 3, Burián 2, Vigvári Vendel 2, Kovács P., Molnár, Jansik