Hungarian-Greek: victory in the farewell match of record holder Balázs Dzudzsák

Budapest – The Hungarian team won with a goal scored in extra time, fifty-five thousand people celebrated the 109-times national team player from Debrecen.

The Hungarian national football team won 2-1 against the visiting Greek team on Sunday, thus ending the year with a victory.

Photo: MTI/Márton Mónus

At the meeting, Roland Sallai took the lead in the 15th minute, the Greeks equalized with Anastasziosz Bakaszetasz’s 11th in the 81st minute. In overtime, Zsolt Kalmár decided the match with his first touch of the ball, a free kick. The Hungarians also initiated new recruits in Pál Dárdai and Péter Szappanos.

Balázs Dzudzsák, who was replaced in the 55th minute, wore the crested jersey for the 109th time, thus becoming the sole top scorer for the national team ahead of Gábor Király.

Hungary – Greece 2-1 (1-0)
Puskás Arena, 55,000 spectators, v.: Daniele Chiffi (Italian)
Hungary: Dibusz (Szappanos, 92) – Botka (Lang, 71), Orbán, Szalai A. – Fiola, Á. Nagy, Styles, Kerkez (Zs. Nagy, 53) – Dzudzsák (Ádám, 53), Szoboszlai (Kalmár, 92.) – Sallai (Dárdai, 71.)
Greece: Paschalakis – Rota, Hacidiakos, Recosz, Jannulis (Kiriakopoulos, 68) – Bakasetas, Kurbelis (Papanikolau, 86), Buhalakis (Haciovanis, 68) – Maszouras (Duvikas, 86), F6untas, 86), Mantalos

Scorers: Sallai (15th), Kalmár (93rd) and Bakaszetasz (81st, from 11th)

15th minute: Sallai teased Styes on the left side of the 16, and the Millwall midfielder played it back perfectly to the Freiburg attacker, who fired into the bottom left corner from 10 meters (1-0).
80-81. minute: Styles kicked Bakaszetasz on the right side of the 16, the awarded penalty was shot by the victim to the right side of the goal (1-1).
93rd minute: Kalmár’s 18-meter free kick found its way past the line wall into the lower left corner of the Greeks’ goal (2-1).

The Hungarian fans “2014 Bucharest, 2016 Lyon, thank you for the joy of goals for life!” they welcomed the teams with a sign, and at the same time they celebrated Balázs Dzudzsák, who is now the only top scorer of the national team.

At the beginning of the match, the minutes were basically played in the field, but Dzudzák tried to shoot in the fifth minute, but the attempt was blocked by a visiting defender. The Hungarians had more of the ball than the Greeks, but the Hungarians had the first chance and goal at the end of any action. The Hungarian management didn’t change much in the course of the game, there was an even fight on the pitch. However, among the goalkeepers, only the Greek was employed, but he surely protected Dzúdzák’s shot to the far, lower right corner. In the minutes before the break, the footballer from Debrecen also bothered him with a pass and a corner, but Paszhalakis saved even then.

The first dangerous Greek shot had to wait until the 49th minute, but Maszurasz missed the target. The departing Hungarian team captain was replaced by national team captain Marco Rossi in the 53rd minute, and Dzudzsák’s name was chanted for a long time by the home supporters. The game continued between the two 16s, so there were no chances or dangerous actions. The first exciting scene of the second half had to wait until the 74th minute, when Ádám, who replaced Dzudzák, shot a 17-meter shot into the lower left corner by Paszhalakis. The Greeks equalized almost completely unexpectedly at the beginning of the period, from 11. At the end of the match, it seemed that neither team could innovate, the first excitement in overtime was that a spectator ran onto the pitch.

However, the slusszpoen was not left behind, because Zsolt Kalmár scored the goal of the Greeks from a free kick from the first touch of the ball after his substitution, so the Hungarian national team closed the year 2022 with a victory.