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Újpest F.C. - Mitropa Cup 1927
Author: Isaque Argolo | Creation Date: 2022-08-30 18:26:44
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The purple and white Hungarian team finished the main tournaments of the season in second place: I. Profliga, Magyar Kupa and Pünkösdi Torna. Losing the championship to Ferencváros F.C. and the Magyar Kupa final, by 3:0, against the same team. However, they still managed to qualify for the Central European Cup through second place in the qualifying tournament for the edition — Pünkösdi Torna. Újpest F.C., despite not winning anything, were considered the best team just before the tournament started. They were in great form, confident and with a very incisive game.
Of the two Hungarian teams that would play in the tournament, Újpest F.C. was considered the best, largely due to the instability of Hungária F.C., whether due to injuries, squad remodeling or new players who would eventually have to adapt to the team's new teammates and style of play.
The strength of the team was the defensive system, mainly the line of full-backs for having the famous Fogl-gát. Furthermore, the attack had two very skilled wingers in Albert Ströck and Gábor P. Szabó, who were the most dangerous players in the advances of the purple and white team.
MITROPA CUP
The scheduling of the first match did not follow the protocol of the other three that were played by the other teams. While the others started on 14/08/1927, with two phases having already been completed on 21/08/1927, the Újpest would play on 21/08/1927. Újpest F.C. would face S.K. Slavia, then a team considered the second strength of Czechoslovakia, for the first round of the Mitropa Cup. As much as Czech football was ranked higher at the time, the latest results for Újpest and Slavia showed that the battle would be balanced, in addition to a majority believing that Újpest would advance to the next stage of the tournament in a result that would be decided in the second match.
P. Szabó Jakube Ströck
Schaller Wilhelm II.
Lutz III. Lutz II. Wilhelm I.
Beneda
The Hungarian team arrived in Prague on Friday evening, 19/08/1927, in the number of fourteen players accompanied by Imre Pozsonyi and representatives of the club, led by director Ferenc Langfelder. The pessimism of Slavia supporters was clear, there was not much enthusiasm for the match on the part of Prague.
AN UNEXPECTED RESULT
After a bad performance in Prague, the Hungarian team had a mission considered almost impossible, mainly due to the lineup of their inside trio — considered a weak formation. However, the half-back line would undergo a change, in this case becoming more classic, efective and stylish. Ferenc Borsányi and József Péter would be the wing half-backs. Thus, both defensive and offensive aspects would be leveraged. The newly hired goalkeeper, Lázsló Bácsay, would replace István Beneda who ended up injured in Prague.
Péter Lutz II. Borsányi
It was normal that Újpest would go up with strength and determination, consequently opening spaces in their defensive system. Many people had compared the W.S.C Admira almost feat for coming so close to eliminating the A.C. Sparta with the hope that Újpest F.C. still had to eliminate S.K. Slavia. To seek the result, players would have to be very energetic, precise, determined and tireless.
DECEPTION
Although József Péter was mentioned as the team's starting left half-back, József Lutz ended up being the option for the left side. However, he still managed to do well, the main problem was the forward line. The Hungarian side failed to convert chances into goals, largely due to the poor performance of the inside trio.
To confirm the complete deficiency of offensive actions, the construction of the team's plays and the shots made by the best positioned players were poorly executed. The excellent performances of the red and white half-back line, Emil Seifert and František Plánička were some of the obstacles that made it difficult for the purple and white team to score goals. After all, the only two goals scored were obtained through penalty kicks.
In fact, much more was expected from the Hungarian team, due to their recent results, for their exceptional defensive system, mainly for having one of the best full-back pairs in the world, and for having two extraordinary wingers. However, due to an unenthusiastic first match on the part of Újpest and the poor quality of the inside trio in the second match, the team was eliminated and was considered a major disappointment in the tournament.
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