By turning the match around, our U15 team managed to claim victory in the weekend’s cup game against Bacău FC. Head coach Zoltán Fogarasi shared his thoughts on what happened on the pitch.

By turning the match around, our U15 team managed to claim victory in the weekend’s cup game against Bacău FC. Head coach Zoltán Fogarasi shared his thoughts on what happened on the pitch.

Following last week’s remarkable win, the mood throughout the week was excellent, and the boys were eagerly waiting to get back on the field. In the second round of the U15 Cup, we hosted Bacău, a team against whom we also played a very tight match in August’s league fixture. We started the game with great intensity and created several chances in the opening minutes, but we failed to take advantage of them. Soon after, completely unexpectedly and due to our own lack of attention, the opponents took the lead. This unsettled the team, as from that moment on we continued in the wrong mindset. Our short-passing game turned into unnecessary long balls, which played into the opponents’ defensive strategy, so for the remainder of the first half we did not have any significant chances.

In the second half, we returned to our own style of play and dominated the match. We frequently managed to break down the opponents’ compact defence on the wings, and thanks to our combination play we created several promising opportunities. We tried long-range shots and individual actions as well, and these finally paid off as we scored the equaliser. After that, the game tilted completely in our favour, with play almost constantly in Bacău’s half, and we applied heavy pressure. Our efforts were rewarded when, following a corner, we scored the winning goal, thus finishing the second round of the Cup with a fully deserved victory.

I am very pleased that aside from their goal, the opponents did not create any other chances, and they took only one corner (in the final minute). The team once again proved that it does not panic when behind, managing for the fifth time in the last seven matches to come back from a losing position. Including friendly games, we have already played 27 matches since the summer, so it is understandable that we are waiting for the end of this exhausting autumn season — but we still have one more cup match away this weekend, which we want to complete successfully.

R. A.