Videoton continue to battle with Honved for the league title.
Vidi and Ujpest have already shared two high scoring games this season. The autumn match saw Videoton win 4-3 in the away fixture. This was followed up by a good 5-1 win at Felcsut at the start of the spring season. Vidi stepped out onto the pitch on Saturday evening in the knowledge that Honved had earlier beaten MTK 2-1 to go three points clear at the top. Manager Henning Berg made a single change from the side that had beaten Haladas a week earlier. Patkai came back into the side in place of Szolnoki in midfield. It was the home side that began the more active in the opening minutes. Szucs had a shot on 4 minutes that came off Juhasz and away for a corner. It was the visitors that then took the lead ten minutes later. A ball in from the wing was headed away by an Ujpest defender, but the ball bounced in front of Nego, who showed good skill to beat the home keeper with his low shot to make it 0-1. That lead was doubled two minutes later. A corner from Lazovic found the head of Stopira, who made no mistake with a well placed header that gave the keeper no chance 0-2.
The action continued after 28 minutes with the home side being reduced to ten men. Diarra fouled the last man as Lazovic ran on goal. The referee pulled out his red card and Vidi were awarded a free kick from around 25 meters out. The Serbian forward picked himself up and took the free kick, which went just wide of the right top corner. Scepovic then played in Nego on the right wing on the half hour mark. He out ran the defender and tried to pick out Lazovic in the middle, but the cross was not precise.
The closing minutes of the first half saw a cross from Stopira being cleared by the home defender, but the ball fell straight to Scepovic, who scored a lovely bending shot into the far corner 0-3. That also saw the forward return back to the top of the goalscoring table with 13 goals, which he shares together with Honved forward Marton Eppel.
Bardhi tried his luck at the start of the second period from 25 meters following a free kick. The ball bounced awkwardly in front of Adam Kovacsik in the Vidi goal, but he still managed to palm the ball away. Benjamin Balazs found himself with a chance on goal on 58 minutes, but Roland Juhasz showed his experience and composure to tackle the Ujpest player inside the area. Hadzic received a nice ball after 74 minutes, and he tried to beat the on coming Banai, but the Ujpest keeper managed to save his shot. Geresi then shot at goal from 13 meters out, but he was unlucky to see his effort blocked by team mate Hadzic, with the ball looking like it was heading towards the back of the net.
There were no further chances in front of either goal in the closing minutes. Videoton comfortably won the game and also beat Ujpest for the third time this season. Vidi continues to be locked in a battle with Honved in top place. The Budapest side travel to Debrecen next weekend, while Videoton host FTC at the Pancho Arena in Felcsut.
Author: David Rechnitzer