Ferencváros win Jet-Sol Liga to complete double

Fradi had won the opening championship final match against MTK 2-1 at the Kocsis Sándor Sportközpont and Balázs Dörnyei’s side held their nerve to win the 2018/19 league championship without the need for a third match against fellow finalists MTK. A late first-half goal from Player of the Year Evelin Fenyvesi set them on their way at the Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion, further strikes from Young Player of the Year Sára Pusztai and Eszter Csigi the icing on the cake as the ninth-district side added a women’s league and cup double to their club’s men’s football, water polo and ice hockey domestic league title wins in the year of their 120th birthday.

It hadn’t look ideal for Ferencváros when Zoé Magyarics gave MTK a first-half lead in the opening match, but with Evelin Mosdóczi equalising from the penalty spot and Allegra Poljak grabbing a second-half winner, it was already a case of ‘job half-done’ coming into Sunday’s potential league decider. Head coach Dörynei was without the services of the injured Petra Kocsán, but Fanni Diószegi and Zsanett Rőhberg both made the starting XI for the second match, whilst MTK brought in Réka Demeter, Luca Varga and 15-year-old Emőke Pápai.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action in the first half, Ferencváros edging ahead in the 42nd minute when Evelin Fenyvesi slalomed through the MTK defence before firing home the rebound after her initial shot was blocked by Luca Varga.

Half-time substitute Sára Pusztai – fresh from her call-up to the Hungarian national-team squad – put Fradi within touching distance of the title in the 62nd minute, when MTK failed to clear an Anna Csiki free kick and the Young Player of the Year was on hand to make it 2-0. The match was all but over as a contest six minutes later, Anna Csiki sending in a free kick and Eszter Csigi meeting it to head past Varga to make it three. Ferencváros thus win their third women’s championship title to add to their victories in 2015 and 2016, giving the club a third double in four years and at the end of a season which saw Dörnyei’s side win their fifth Hungarian Women’s Cup in a row.

“We’ve won the championship trophy again and I believe that it’s found a worthy home. The squad have worked immensely hard for their success and I’d like to congratulate everyone involved. Everyone pulled together and winning the league title is a fantastic achievement”, said Dörnyei after the match.