Ferencváros gain valuable point in Barcelona

A crowd of around 25,000 was present in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat in Barcelona as hosts Espanyol – back in European football for the first time since reaching the old Uefa Cup final in 2006/07 – met Hungarian champions Ferencváros, themselves back in the European football group-stage limelight after an absence of fifteen years.

The La Liga side were viewed as firm favourites prior to the match but it was Ferencváros who looked more dangerous in the opening moments, Oleksandr Zubkov coming close with a fierce, low shot which Diego López turned past the post for a corner, and then Isael – playing in a less-than familiar centre-forward role – firing inches wide from distance.

The Brazilian appeared to be especially in his element and played provider when Ferencváros took a tenth-minute lead. Miha Blažič instigated the move, playing a superb long, flighted pass which set Isael free down the right. With the Espanyol defence stretched, he crossed low for the unmarked Tokmac Nguen near the back post, a last-gasp lunge from Javi López merely resulting in the Espanyol captain planting the ball firmly past his namesake Diego and into his own team's net.

Visibly shaken by this turn of events, Espanyol struggled to find their rhythm and composure and Ferencváros restricted them to a couple of wayward long-range efforts. Meanwhile, at the other end, Zubkov came close and Igor Haratin headed over the bar following a corner. The home side began to dominate more and more in as the half wore on but a well-organised Ferencváros defence kept them at bay and the Budapest side succeeded in preserving their lead until the break.

Indeed, Ferencváros could well have taken a two-goal lead early in the second half, Lasha Dvali heading an Isael free kick goalward only for Diego López to deny him, and then Isael hitting the woodwork with an audacious 40-yard free kick from the right wing, but from then on in it was all Espanyol.

Wave of after wave of attack saw a series of shots rain in on Dénes Dibusz’s goal and the Blanquiazules eventually levelled the scores on the hour mark as Ferencváros failed to clear their lines following a corner. With Miha Blažič lying on the ground after a meaty challenge, a lobbed ball into the box evaded Dvali, Matías Vargas beating Dávid Sigér to the ball and with Dibusz only able to divert his header onto the post, Espanyol’s record summer signing from Vélez Sarsfield reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line.

The last half-hour saw almost incessant Espanyol pressure, but although Ferencváros tired visibly in the last few minutes against opponents more well-versed in playing at a higher tempo, their defence held firm to stretch their unbeaten away record in Europe this season to five matches – a victory at Ludogorets having been followed by draws against Valletta, Dinamo Zagreb and Suduva – and, more importantly, to secure a point from a very tricky-looking away fixture.

Sergii Rebrov’s side’s next match is on 3rd October at home to Ludogorets, who opened their group campaign by coming from behind at half-time to thump the much-fancied Russian side CSKA Moscow 5-1 in Razgrad.

Europa League, Group H, matchday 1

Espanyol 1-1 Ferencváros
Goalscorers: ESP: Vargas (60’); FER: Javi López (10’, own goal)

Espanyol: D. López – J. López, Naldo, Espinosa, Dídac Vilà (Pedrosa, 67’) – Melendo (Calleri, 56’), Marc Roca, Lozano, Granero – Wu, Vargas (Campuzano, 74’) Ferencváros: Dibusz – Botka (Lovrencsics, 66’), Blažič, Dvali, Heister – Sigér, Haratin, Ihnatenko (Frimpong, 85’) – Zubkov, Isael (Signevich, 64’), Nguen.