Futsal men's U19s push Ukraine all the way

The Hungarian Under-19 futsal team’s preparations for the European Championship qualifiers in Georgia in March are nearly at an end, with the team taking on Ukraine in a double-header before getting down to business. Ukraine edged the first match 4-3, with the second match due to be played at 2pm on Thursday.

The first half was evenly fought, the visitors breaking the deadlock a minute before the break. Hungary struggled to find any rhythm early in the second half, and Ukraine used this well to score another two goals in quick succession as they raced into a 3-0 lead. Ádám Tama got Hungary on the scoresheet, and then Botond Rónaszéki brought the hosts to within a goal, but with Hungary pushing for an equaliser Ukraine seized upon a loose ball to restore their two-goal advantage. Tama scored his second of the match just moments before the end, but Ukraine held on 4-3.

“Both teams had chances in the first half, and Ukraine, with their dynamic, quick players, took the lead after the ball fell kindly for them. After the break we made a lot of mistakes for about five or six minutes, and our opponents pulled away somewhat. We came back into it but had given ourselves too much to do. Apart from that weaker period, we didn’t play badly, but our individual performances fell short of my expectations. This was the first time our whole squad have been together, and it showed that we have much to improve upon in the coming weeks. We learned much from the match, and we gained important experience prior to our competitive matches”, said Hungary head coach Tamás Frank after the encounter.

Hungary 3-4 Ukraine (0-1)

HUNGARY: Dominik Dohány - Donát Juhász, Martin Östör, Olivér Fekete, Ádám Tama

Substitutes: Kristóf Magyar, Botond Rónaszéki, Robin Sipos, Kevin Nagy, István Soltész, Dávid Daróczi, Máté Tóth, Márk Fekete, Antal Gerencsér, Balázs Szakasics

Goalscorers: Tama (2), Rónaszéki