Our U15 team secured all three points at home after a hard-fought match in Round 7 of the Elite League play-offs. After the final whistle, head coach Zoltán Fogarasi shared his thoughts.

Our U15 team secured all three points at home after a hard-fought match in Round 7 of the Elite League play-offs. After the final whistle, head coach Zoltán Fogarasi shared his thoughts.

The coach realistically assessed the overall picture while emphasizing the team’s fighting spirit.

– In today’s match I believe we fought hard to claim the three points, but based on the overall picture a draw would have been a fairer result. I must admit we did not play well. We created very few chances throughout the game – said the head coach.

He also analyzed the difficulties of the first half in detail.

– In the first half the opponent retreated into complete passivity, and we were unable to break down their organized defense. Our midfielders did not attempt individual penetrations. We could not break through on the wings. We had no long-range shots, practically no chances at all. We had only one scrappy effort in the 17th minute, and apart from that nothing noteworthy happened in the first half – he explained.

He spoke about the changes in the second half as well.

– The second half brought a more lively game, as we made adjustments. The substitutions helped to some extent, not dramatically, but they gave the team a bit more momentum. We were slightly more aggressive and controlled the ball better in direct duels, but the opponent also wanted to play more and became more dangerous, having three big chances. Based on the number of opportunities, they may have been closer to victory, but that’s football – he said.

He highlighted the team’s mental strength.

– I am very proud that we have players with a winning mentality who never give up. I try to instill this in them during training and matches, and we know very well that luck favors those who work for it. With a well-struck shot we managed to score the winning goal, which secured the three points for us – he emphasized.

In closing, he referred to the dual nature of the performance.

– I believe one of the traits of a good team is being able to win even when playing poorly. Today we managed to do that. Obviously, we cannot be proud of our performance, but this is also part of who we are. This age group has great potential, as I have mentioned before, and I strongly believe they will prove it in the future with better performances – concluded Zoltán Fogarasi.

László Orbán
Photo: Zoltán Pál