Szolnok emerged victorious in the most crucial match of the 16th round of the Hungarian League, defeating Honved 12:8. Szolnok kept second place in the standings, while Honved’s chances of reaching the semifinals and securing fourth place have dwindled after two consecutive losses (Kaposvar surprisingly defeated Honved in Budapest a few days ago).
Other favorites, Ferencvaros, BVSC, Vasas, and OSC, earned away wins this weekend.
Szolnok water polo players made a crucial advantage in the second quarter of the derby. After leading 2:1 at the first break, they went to 4:1 and 5:2 in the early stage of the 2nd period. Honved cut the deficit to two (3:5), but it couldn’t keep up with Szolnok for long. The hosts produced a 4:0 run in the last three minutes of the first half, ending the quarter with a commanding 9:3 lead, which decided the match. Norman Schmolcz helped Szolnok with five goals, Bence Szabo II added three. Benjamin Hassels was Honved’s best scorer with three goals.
BVSC took three points in the most dramatic match of the day, beating Szeged 11:10. BVSC, the visiting team, started strongly and took a 5:2 lead. But Szeged came back in the game and leveled at 5:5 before the middle break. BVSC opened the second half with two goals (7:5). In the rest of the game, the teams traded the goals. Szeged scored its last goal with 30 seconds left on the clock. The visitors kept the ball and the win in their last possession. Akos Konarik stood out in BVSC’s victory with four goals. Zsombor Porge scored three for Szeged.
Kaposvar, which surprised Honved earlier this week, didn’t upgrade that win. OSC Budapest proved too strong for the Kaposvar (17:10). Simone Rossi and Lars ten Broek scored three goals for OSC, while Juhasz-Szelei netted three for Kaposvar.
Vasas started slowly in an away match against Eger, trailing 2:5 at the first break. Still, Vasas dominated the second quarter. It went on a 5:0 run, proving who the favorite was. The visitors widened the gap to three before the final quarter (9:6). Led by Bogdan Djurdjic and Bence Batori (both scored three goals), Vasas recorded a 15:8 victory.
Ferencvaros prolonged its winning streak by beating UVSE. The European champion scored 11 goals in the first half (11:4). “Fradi” ‘s attack slowed in the second half but maintained a 7-goal difference. Gergo Fekete contributed five goals to Ferencvaros’ 13:6 victory.
2024/25 Hungarian League, Day 15
Szolnok – Honved 12:8 (2:1, 7:2, 1:3, 2:2)
Eger – Vasas 8:15 (5:2, 0:5, 1:2, 2:6)
UVSE – Ferencvaros 6:13 (2:6, 2:5, 1:1, 1:1)
Miskolc – Debrecen 11:14 (3:3, 3:4, 4:5, 1:2)
Szeged – BVSC 10:11 (2:3, 3:2, 2:3, 3:3)
Kaposvar – OSC 10:17 (2:3, 3:5, 1:4, 4:5)
Szentes – PVSK Pecs 17:9 (2:0, 6:3, 3:3, 6:3)
1. Ferencvaros 15 – 48
2. Szolnok 15 – 42
3. OSC 15 – 40
4. Vasas 15 – 38
5. BVSC 15 – 35
6. Honved 15 – 31
7. Szeged 15 – 22
8. Kaposvar 15 – 21
9. Szentes 15 – 18
10. Debrecen 15 – 10
11. Eger 15 – 9
12. UVSE 15 – 9
13. Miskolc 15 – 8
14. PVSK Pecs 15 – 5