Hungary NATIONAL TEAM RESULTS 2006/07 16/8/06 Austria A Graz 2-1 Gera (11), Horváth (37) 2/9/06 Norway (ECQ) H 1-4 Gera (90p) 6/9/06 Bosnia-Herzegovina (ECQ) A Zenica 3-1 Huszti (36p), Gera (46), Dárdai (49) 7/10/06 Turkey (ECQ) H Budapest 0-1 11/10/06 Malta (ECQ) A Ta’ Qali 1-2 Torghelle (19) 15/11/06 Canada H Szekesfehervar 1-0 Priskin (37) Farewell to a 6/2/07 Cyprus A Limassol 1-2 Priskin (88) 7/2/07 Latvia N Limassol (CYP) 2-0 Priskin (31, 53) 24/3/07 Montenegro A Podgorica 1-2 Priskin (1) true legend 28/3/07 Moldova (ECQ) H Budapest 2-0 Priskin (9), Gera (63) 2/6/07 Greece (ECQ) A Heraklion 0-2 Hungary was plunged into mourning on 17 matches. However, defeats by Cyprus and 6/6/07 Norway (ECQ) A Oslo 0-4 November 2006 with the news that the country’s Montenegro (on their debut) preceded back-to- greatest ever footballer, Ferenc Puskás, had passed back UEFA EURO 2008™ losses in Greece and away at the age of 79. Norway, forcing Várhidi to reappraise his policy at the end of the season. NATIONAL TEAM APPEARANCES 2006/07 The most magical Magyar of them all was also one of Coach – Péter BOZSIK Aut NOR BIH TUR MLT the best players the whole world has ever seen. He Although 46 players turned out for Hungary during /(31/10/06) Péter VÁRHIDI Can Cyp Lva Mne MDA GRE NOR Caps Goals won three European Champion Clubs’ Cups and the season, only five clubs from the Hungarian Gábor KIRÁLY 1/4/76 Crystal Palace (ENG) G46 GGGG 70- seven Spanish League titles with Real Madrid CF and national division, the NB I, were called upon to Csaba FEHÉR 2/9/75 PSV (NED) D D D82 D D76 40 - came agonisingly close to winning the FIFA World provide them (as opposed, remarkably, to six from Cup with Hungary. His incredible record of 83 the second tier of English football, the László ÉGER 7/5/77 Ejido (ESP) D D D D 9 - international goals in 84 appearances will surely Championship). The two main local suppliers, Roland JUHÁSZ 1/7/83 Anderlecht (BEL) D D66 s65 D D D D D D D 26 1 remain unequalled for as long as the game is played. naturally enough, were Debreceni VSC and MTK Péter HALMOSI 25/9/79 Debrecen D61 M46 s76 12 - Budapest, first and second, respectively, in the András HORVÁTH 6/8/80 Sopron M79 M61 2 1 If only Hungary possessed a few footballers with a 2006/07 NB I championship. fraction of Puskás’s talent nowadays. In the last Balázs MOLNÁR 1/7/77 ZTE M M M 14 - competitive fixture played by Hungary before the Debrecen completed a hat-trick of titles, becoming Pál DÁRDAI 16/3/76 Hertha (GER) M M M M M 49 5 great man’s death, they were defeated 2-1 in a the first non-Budapest club ever to achieve that Zoltán GERA 22/4/79 West Brom (ENG) A89 M M M M A A A M 44 13 UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying match by Malta. feat. They were worthy winners, achieving more Imre SZABICS 22/3/81 Mainz (GER) A59 s83 A60 21 9 points than in each of their two previous triumphs Even after 20 years and more in the international and also finishing with a greater margin of victory. Szabolcs HUSZTI 18/4/83 Hannover (GER) A M M M M M83 M76 s53 s64 28 6 wilderness, that result deeply shocked the long- Title number three came with a new coach, Miroslav Márton FÜLÖP 3/5/83 Tottenham (ENG) s46 suffering Hungarian fans. That it came after two Beránek, who replaced two-time winner Attila /Sunderland (ENG) G s46 4 - qualifying defeats in Budapest against Norway and Supka right at the start of the campaign. Supka was Thomas SOWUNMI 25/7/78 Slovácko (CZE) s59 A80 10 1 Turkey effectively ruled out any hope of a sacked by club owner Gábor Szima after Debrecen’s Zsolt LŐW 29/4/79 Hoffenheim (GER) s61 D D65 22 1 successful qualification for the 2008 finals. It also premature elimination from the UEFA Champions led to the immediate dismissal of coach Péter League, but initially the appointment of his Czech Zoltán KISS 18/8/80 Debrecen s79 s61 s82 s46 5 - Bozsik and his assistant Lajos Détári. Péter KABÁT 25/9/77 Pasching (AUT) s89 s90 s46 16 - Tamás Priskin – goals galore for a struggling Hungary /76 Sweeping changes Vilmos VANCZÁK 20/6/83 Sint-Truiden (BEL) s66 D D D D D s40 D 22 - Sándor TORGHELLE 5/5/82 PAOK (GRE) s80 A90 A83 A s78 25 7 National Under-19 coach Péter Várhidi was asked to stand in for a friendly against Canada. He made Balázs TÓTH 24/9/81 Kayseri Erciyesspor (TUR) MMMMMs89MMMM22- sweeping changes to the team, calling up nine Ádám KOMLÓSI 6/12/77 Debrecen s76 9 - newcomers to the squad, including some (Ádám LEANDRO de Almeida 19/3/82 Debrecen D46 6 - Vass, Attila Filkor, Balázs Farkas etc) the average Péter CZVITKOVICS 10/2/83 MTK s60 1 - Hungarian football follower had never heard of. But this new, youthful team won the game 1-0 and Zoltán VÉGH 7/4/71 MTK G G G46 G G G 25 - Várhidi was handed a one-year contract. László BODNÁR 25/2/79 Salzburg (AUT) D 32 - Béla BALOGH 20/12/84 MTK D D D D D36 D D 7 - Tamás Priskin, a young striker struggling to make Ádám VASS 9/9/88 Stoke (ENG) M M 2 - an impression in the English Premiership with Watford FC, found Várhidi’s methods to his liking, György SÁNDOR 20/3/84 Újpest M71 M63 s69 3 - not only scoring the winner against Canada but also Ádám HREPKA 15/4/87 MTK A70 A57 s90 3 - finding the net five more times in the next four Tamás PRISKIN 27/9/86 Watford (ENG) A78 s57 A90 A A88 A79 A71 10 6

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