Oliver Tamas: I am still at the beginning and have plenty to learn

Oliver Tamas was born in Ukraine on the 14th April 2001. He was born close to the border with Ukraine and Romania in a town called Aknaszlatina, which is around 100km from the Hungarian border. He played for the Dalnoki Academy as a kid before playing for various youth teams at Ferencvaros. He moved to our club at the age of 17 in the summer of 2018. He started playing for the U19 side before making his debut for the second team in the NB III on the 21st October 2018. The last year and a half has seen him make 20 appearances for the second team. February 2020 saw him move up to the first team squad and he made his debut in the second leg of the Hungarian Cup against Ujpest.

- When Joan Carrillo named his team to face Ujpest in the second leg, how surprised were you?

I was not counting on it that I would start. It was a surprise but fortunately I was not too nervous. I tried to remain calm and I knew that there were very good players out on the pitch that would help me. They were already giving me their support over an hour before the match. 

- You played as a central defender for the second team and also for various youth teams. However, you were at right back against Ujpest. How surprised were you with the decision?

It was not that much of a surprise to be honest. I have been training together with the NB I team for a while now. I tend to play in that position during training so the coaching staff see me in that position. I try to do the best I can for the task in hand. I am really pleased that I got the chance from Joan Carrillo on Wednesday evening.

- You performed well in your defensive role and also provided the assist in the 89th minute for the winning goal.

Yes, I was really happy with this and it felt great that I flicked on the ball for Visar, who then put the ball into the back of the net. It was Visar in the second half that actually told me that we should switch at the corner. I had arrived at the far post and he was at the near. It really was a fantastic feeling and I am pleased to have contributed towards going through.

- You also came close to scoring a goal yourself...

Yes, at the beginning of the game following a corner, I remained up and we got hold of the ball quickly. Petryak sent a high ball in and I controlled it before taking it past Heris and shooting. Sadly I could not hit it with the inside of my foot and Pajovic saved it well. I am pleased that I got a chance at goal in my first match. However, the most important is in defence and that we managed to go through the game without conceding.