FERENCVÁROS DESERVED TO WIN
Béla Mokai Mattanovich | 05/09/1938

They certainly deserved this — a victory away from home. Already in the first half they attacked more, and in the second half they were definitely better than their opponents. In the first quarter of an hour of the second half, they withstood the renewed onslaught of Slavia and then took control of the game.

With a bit of luck, the green and whites could have won this grandiose match. 

The moral victor will be Ferencváros! You could see this in the way the crowd booed their team towards the end of the game, and applauded Ferencváros in protest when the referee blew the final whistle.

Technically, Ferencváros were definitely superior to Slavia. The green and white shirts were more often victorious than the red star players.

Tactically, Ferencváros also proved to be the better team, especially in terms of transitioning from defence to goal. The flexible play of the insiders was a great help for the defence, but when the team went on the attack, the insiders went up immediately. This harmonisation was especially needed in the first half, when Sárosi III. was still neglecting the defensive part of his job. At the beginning of the second half Toldi often brought the ball out from his area, but in the second half he was already fighting away, as he saw Slavia falling behind.

Ferencváros were helped significantly to this good result by their superior strength, in the first half it was as if the green and white were still riding on expectation. After the break, however, it was at the decisive moment — when Slavia released their last venom — that Ferencváros could strengthen. They took the initiative.

The good form gave the team a sense of calm. Ferencváros played with their usual flat passes, but now they alternated short passes with long ones in a great way. Sárosi III. in particular unleashed 30-40 meter passes, one after the other.

Ferencváros conquered Prague. They played well. It is to the credit of both teams that the game remained unconditionally fair and sportsmanlike despite the fierce fighting. The predictors of doom were proved wrong: the first leg of the 1938 final was a real triumph!

FERENCVÁROS' BEST PLAYERS: SÁROSI III. AND LÁZÁR

Hero of the match: Sárosi III. On Saturday, the young centre-half was still afraid that he would not be able to handle the pace on the unusually wide track. Béla Sárosi brilliantly refuted those who were concerned. In the first half, he even walked sometimes, as if he was conserving his strength. After the break, however, he played in an exemplary manner. In the second half, in the first quarter of an hour of the half, he did not allow Bican to breathe, and when the team broke free from the opponent, a lot of long  sent the wings into the offensive actions. His huge figure was a real pillar. Slavia's insido trio is full of Toldi-like figures, and yet Béla Sárosi was a master against them in the air as well.

The second hero: Lázár. It was as if he had given up his unnecessary adventures. He was cautious, but he took his chances. And his technique was dazzling. He brought every ball down and passed everything on the ground.

The rest of the team were all equally good. There was no weakness in the team.

In the forward line, Toldi had completely calmed down by the second half. He stood his ground well. Two great moves by Sárosi deserved a great goal. He controlled well and despite his long break he kept the pace throughout, Kemény didn't play as well as last Sunday, but he was a driving force in the attack. His shots just didn't work this time. Kiss played particularly well in the second half. His dribbling and hole-play were very impressive. Táncos was also better after the break. Like he was shot from a rifle, he rushed a few times past the Slavia defenders.

In the half-back line Magda came up well for the second half. He tackled well, Vytlačil didn't live next to him like in the first half. He also gave a lot of good passes forward.

In defence, both full-backs held their own well. Polgár was a shade better. Tátrai made a big mistake before the second goal, a mistake he tried to make up for with good play.

Háda saved some very difficult shots well. In particular, he got a lot of high balls this time.

THE AXIS OF SLAVIA BROKE

One of the main reasons for the Slavia's failure was Daučík II.'s moderate play. It didn't work. He could not fit into an otherwise great group of players. Especially after the break, he completely abandoned the forwards. Despite Kopecky's good play and Prucha's diligence on the wing, there was a hole in the middle of the half-back line!

Direct defence was the best part of the team. Černý is forceful, but contrary to the rumours, he is not rough at all. He kicks well. Daučík I. is smarter, better positioned. The two full-backs prevented Ferencváros from winning.

Bokšay saved 2-3 goals that looked certain.

The forward line was disappointing. After the break, Bican fell back badly. Finally, he played completely without a chance. Bradáč was not a dangerous centre-forward either. Horák did not show any signs of his injury in the first half, he was very fast after the break. But the most dangerous forward was Vytlačil. Šimůnek often brought the ball up from the back.

ENGLISH-STYLE REFEREEING

Mee led the match superbly. A bloody English conception is evident in all his judgments. It was obvious that he understood the game fundamentally. His move was superb when Magda could only palm away the ball, which rolled in front of the Slavia forwards. He waved his hand to the Prague forwards: "I want the ball!" And he does not run. He applied the advantage rule. His only mistake was that Slavia's second goal was offside. But that was on the linesmas conscience. Mee was in the other half of the pitch when the attack started.