Ferencvaros won the Hungarian Cup for the fifth time in a row.
The reigning champion beat OSC in a thrilling final (16:15) in Budapest at the Komjadi Pool and clinched its 22nd trophy in the Hungarian Cup. Ferencvaros improved its record. The second club in the all-time winners’ list, Ujpest, won three Cups less than Ferencvaros.
The final game offered a lot of excitement. There were several turns. Stylianos Argyropoulos scored a winner just 54 seconds before the final buzzer. The Greek was outstanding in the fourth quarter. He scored several crucial goals, not only the winning one.
2022/23 Hungarian Cup, Final
OSC Budapest – Ferencvaros 15:16 (3:3, 4:5, 5:2, 3:6)
OSC Budapest: K.Manhercz 3, E.Csacsovszky 2, Angyal 2, Salamon 2, Toth 2, Vin.Vugvari 2, Burian 1, Aranyi 1.
Ferencvaros: Argyropoulos 6, Damonte 3, Varga 2, Merkulov 2, Nagy 1, Fekete 1, Ven.Vigvari 1.
All photos by David Balogh/Total Waterpolo
In the opening minutes, Ferencvaros and OSC traded the goals. Ferencvaros took a one-goal lead four times, while OSC leveled on each occasion until 4:4. Ferencvaros scored two back-to-back goals in the 10th and 11th minute and built a 2-goal lead for the first time (6:4). After that Ferencvaros’ 2:0 series, the exchange of goals continued, and OSC trailed 7:8 before the third quarter.
OSC dictated the pace in the third period. It scored three goals in a row and earned a 2-goal advantage after Toth found the net for 10:8 in the 22nd minute. OSC kept Ferencvaros goalless for almost 10 minutes. Adam Nagy broke the silence a minute and 14 seconds before the last break for 9:10. Krisztian Manhercz doubled OSC’s advantage immediately. Still, that wasn’t the ending of this quarter. Two goals were scored in the last 22 seconds of this period. First, Merkulov scored from a 6 on 5 (10:11). Then, OSC earned a man-up in its last possession. Marton Toth beat the buzzer. He hit the back of the net at 0:03, so OSC entered the final quarter leading 12:10.
In the final eight minutes, Greek Stylianos Argyropoulos played the leading role. He scored two goals in a minute and a half and leveled at 12:12 (27th minute). In the following two minutes, OSC went in front twice, and Ferencvaros equalized on both occasions.
Two minutes before the end, the score was 14:14. The thriller was reaching its culmination. At 01:59, Argyropoulos added his fifth goal, and Ferencvaros took the lead for the first time in the second half (15:14). But, Salamon made it 15:15 in the next possession.
Argyropoulos closed the exciting contest. The Greek scored his 6th goal with 54 seconds left on the clock for 16:15. OSC had no response. Soma Vogel saved a shot from Krisztian Manhercz 31 seconds before the end. OSC water polo players had a man-up in the dying seconds, but they missed and Ferencvaros added the 22nd Hungarian Cup to its treasury.
It should be mentioned that Soma Vogel, who posted a crucial save, played only in the fourth quarter. He was on the bench in the first 24 minutes because of a cold, but he helped his teammates in the final eight minutes, replacing Szakonyi.
All winners
22 trophies: Ferencvaros
19: Ujpest
15: Vasas
8: Honved
6: Szolnok
5: BVSC
4: Eger
3: MTK Budapest, III Keruleti TVE, Szeged.
2: Magyar AC, OSC, Budapest SE
1: Bp. Spartacus, Szentes
