Ferencvaros opened the final of the Hungarian League with a narrow 9:8 win.
The game was a neck-and-neck race from the beginning until the end. There were a lot of twists and turns, but neither of the sides had a 2-goal advantage.
The reigning champion secured a win with a last-gasp goal, scored by Italian leftie Luca Damonte just three seconds before the final buzzer.
OSC’s fans hoped that May 16 would be a lucky date for their team. OSC beat Ferencvaros for the last time on May 16, 2021, in the Hungarian League semifinals. Still, it didn’t end its winless streak in the duels with “Fradi”, lasting for two years.
2022/23 Hungarian league, final (best of three), Match 1
Ferencvaros – OSC Budapest 9:8 (1:2, 2:1, 3:3,3:2)
Ferencvaros: Vogel, Molnar, Pohl, Merkulov 1, Argyropoulos 2, Fekete, Ven.Vigvari, Nemet 1, De.Varga 2, Jansik 1, Damonte 1, A.Nagy 1, Szakonyi,. Head coach: Zs. Varga.
OSC Budapest: Levai, Angyal 1, Manhercz 3, Varnai, Salamon, E.Csacsovszky, Dala, Toth, Vin.Vigvari 1, Burian 2, Bundschuh 1, Harai, Condor, Bisztritsanyi. Head coach: Da.Varga.
Harai (OSC) and Merkulov (FTC)
Ferencvaros scored the first goal in the game, but OSC headed into the second quarter with a 2:1 advantage. In the 7th minute, Denes Varga had a chance to equalize from a penalty shot, but Bisztritsanyi, who was OSC’ first goalkeeper in this match, saved the shot. Ferencvaros’ captain missed the chance at the finish of the first quarter, but Varga leveled at 2:2 from a 6 on 6 in the hosts’ first possession in the second period. Midway through the quarter, Gerlegy Burian gave OSC a new advantage from a counterattack (3:2). The visitors kept that advantage for a while until Adam Nagy converted a man-up with 45 seconds left on the clock. OSC got an extra man in its last attack in the first half – Danial Angyal hit the post from a close-range shot.
The close battle continued after the middle break. Early in the third period, Erik Bundschuh made it 3:4 with an extra man. Jansik leveled, also with a power-play advantage. Merkulov put the hosts in front – 5:4 from a penalty in the 20th minute. OSC equalized immediately (Vince Vigvari), Ferencvaros gained a new lead via Nemet (6:5). But, the teams were tied at 6:6 before the final quarter as Krisztian Manhercz closed the third period with an action goal, a minute and 45 seconds before the last break.
Krisztian Manhercz All photos by Laszlo Balogh
The same man opened the fourth quarter, Manhercz added his third goal for 6:7. Argyropoulos responded with an equalizer in the 26th minute. After that, both defenses did their job well. Both teams had a lot of opportunities with a power play advantage but nobody could find the net until the 32nd minute. Argyropoulos netted a great long-distance goal with 53 seconds left on the clock. Three players were in front of the Greek, but they couldn’t block him.
At 00:30, OSC earned a new man-up. This time, the visitors didn’t miss. Angyal converted it to 8:8 with 21 seconds to go. But, Luca Damonte didn’t let the match enter the shootout. Ferencvaros had a 6 on 5 in the last 11 seconds. Leftie Damonte fired the ball into the net just three seconds before the buzzer and Ferencvaros made a new step toward the title.
Zsolt Varga
There were a lot of exclusions, but both teams had poor percentages of extra player shots: Ferencvaros 4/15, OSC 4/16. The goalkeepers were excellent. Ferencvaros’ Soma Vogel posted 12 saves. At the other end of the pool, David Bisztritsanyi blocked 13 shots.
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