Men's futsal team take big step towards Euro qualification

After a depleted Hungary lineup suffered a 5-0 loss away to Kazakhstan late last year, three points were definitely needed in this home game against Belarus in order to retain a realistic chance of finishing in one of the two positions in the qualifying group.

In contrast to December's match in Kazakhstan when most of our key players were unable to travel to Kazakhstan, now everyone was available to head coach József Turzó. Hungary started well and after missing three good opportunities, took a fifth-minute lead thanks to a precise finish over the goalkeeper from Rábl. Belarus raised their game thereafter and equalised through Silivonchik's goal in the 27th minute, the visiting attacker taking advantage of our first major defensive error, but on the half-hour mark, we regained the advantage, a counter attack allowing Zoltán Dróth to set up Pál for a shot which he rocketed high into the net. Hungary held out until the end and could even have extended their lead, but in the end they'll simply be glad of three very important points.

József Turzó, Hungary head coach: "This match was the triumph of teamwork. We played tactically in a disciplined manner, presenting a near-perfect defence, and although we missed a couple of situations, this time we had the players who could decide the match with their goals. The players were mentally very strong, shown not only by the attitude they showed, but also by the fact that they managed to regain the advantage quickly in the second half following the equaliser. We've scored three very important points but we are still far from reaching our goal. We still have difficult matches and it will only be decided in the last round of the qualifiers whether we will be able to secure second place in the group".

Hungary 2-1 Belarus (HT: 1-0)
Hungary: Marcell Alasztics - Péter Komáromi, Zoltán Dróth, Ádám Vas, Milán Hajmási
Replacements: Dávid Mezei, Richárd Dávid, Norbert Horváth, Szabolcs Horváth, Imre Nagy, József Tatai, János Rábl, Péter Szabó, Patrik Pál.
Belarus: Luksha - Matsveyanka, Uladzislau, Sialiuk, Krykun.