MTK Women beat Fradi to ensure WUCL play-off decider

MTK Hungária FC 2–1 FTC-Telekom (HT: 1–1)

Goalscorers: MTK: Pápai (12.), Magyarics (65.), FTC: Vágó (42.)

MTK Hungária FC (surnames first): Szőcs Réka – Nagy Lilla (Papp Dóra, 84.), Turányi Lilla, Demeter Réka, Pinczi Anita – Farádi-Szabó Edina (Bokor Blanka, 46.), Csányi Diána, Nagy Ágnes (Stefán Bernadett, 68.) – Pápai Emőke (Tóth Barbara, 83.), Magyarics Zoé, Németh Loretta (Mayer Zsófia, 46.)
FTC-Telekom: Barti Luca – Mosdóczi Evelin, Hasanbegovic Melisa, Zlidnis Inna, Szabó Viktória – Kocsán Petra (Papp Luca, 77.), Fenyvesi Evelin, Laaksonen Emilia (Aleksic Marija, 46.), Csiki Anna – Vágó Fanni (Diószegi Fanni, 92.), Czellér Dorottya (Pusztai Sára, 46.)

MTK Hungária and FTC-Telekom met again at the Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium on Thursday, Ferencváros having won the first match of their Women's Champions League play-off series last week at home by a scoreline of 3-2.

FTC head coach Balázs Dörnyei made four changes to his starting line-up for this second fixture, Emilia Laaksonen, Melisa Hasanbegovic, Dorottya Czellér and goalkeeper Luca Barti all earning starting spots. For the home team, head coach Attila Varga drafted 16-year-old Emőke Pápai - a substitute in the first leg - into the starting eleven. Before the match, MTK paid tribute to Rita Méry, who has served the club for 19 years and is retiring at the end of the season.

The first opening in this second leg came as early as the seventh minute, Fanni Vágó rolling the ball across to Petra Kocsán, who arrived unmarked in front of the MTK goal, but could only stretch and hit the crossbar from a tight angle. The away team's reply was swift, neat interplay from Zoé Magyarics and Diána Csányi allowing the latter to find space for a shot which flew into the side netting.

The first goal wasn't long in coming though, Ágnes Nagy curling in a 12th-minute free kick, which the arriving Pápai converted to put MTK in the lead. Thereafter, there were chances for both sides but it took a superb individual goal from Ferencváros' Vágó towards the end of the first half to break the deadlock again, the Hungary international forward collecting the ball in the MTK half, taking it past a swathe of defenders and firing into the net from 20 metres.

After the break, both teams picked up where they'd left off, attacking with verve and attempting to seize control of the game. In the 57th minute, Kocsán saw her shot well blocked by MTK goalkeeper Réka Szőcs and another effort from long range narrowly fail to hand her team a crucial advantage. Fradi were dominant after an hour but they couldn't confirm this on the scoresheet and instead it was the hosts who edged in front in the 65th minute, Pápai passing to Nagy who moved the ball on to Anita Pinczi, her cross dispatched into the visitors' net by Zoé Magyarics.

Fradi tried hard to recover but errors started creeping into their play and they couldn't find a way through a solid home defence. Thus, MTK level the tie at one victory apiece and ensure that one more meeting of the teams will be necessary next Thursday evening in order to discover which of the two wil represent Hungary in the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League.