FTC take control of women's championship final

In line with the women's NB I competition rules, for the seventh consecutive year, the two clubs finishing first and second after 21 rounds of the league season are competing for the championship in a best-of-3 final series.

Budapest club BVSC's stadium was the venue for the first contest, MTK Hungária having chosen it as their home pitch for this first match. The 'hosts' started the match better, the first big goalscoring chance landing in front of Zsófia Mayer, but FTC goalkeeper Chandra Bednar saved her shot from a tight angle on the right.

It was initially a rather attritional, midfield battle with both teams fighting hard but eventually FTC-Telekom began to dominate proceedings, although it took the visiting team until halfway through the first half to create a clear opportunity. That wasn't successful but they did edge in front before the half-time break, Fanni Vágó's exceptional technical skills and technique enabling her to take advantage of the space MTK allowed her 20 metres from goal and send in a low shot which went in off the right post.

That goal was positive not only in that it gave them the lead, but also psychologically for Ferencváros, because they seemed to raise the pace in the second period and become even more dominant in midfield, while MTK's strength in midfield was becoming ever less visible.

Fradi doubled their lead in the 53rd minute, Tiffany Cameron also firing the ball into the bottom corner of the net, this time into the left side of the goal, as MTK, who relied mostly on sporadic counter-attacks, continued to be thwarted by Bednar on every occasion.

In the dying moments of the match, Evelin Fenyvesi's headed goal confirmed a deserved and comprehensive win for FTC-Telekom, for whom there were outstanding individual performances from Evelin Mosdóczi, Viktória Szabó, Vanessa Marques, Fanni Vágó and Tiffany Camerone.

The two teams will play the second match of the championship final series at the Sándor Kocsis Sports Centre in Budapest at 5:30pm CET on Wednesday 26th May.