MTK Budapest vs LNZ Cherkasy

Ponomarev's half-time substitution — replacing Kravchuk with Kody David — proved decisive. David scored within 14 minutes of coming on, and once LNZ had the lead, MTK's resistance crumbled. The Hungarian side conceded three more goals in the final 18 minutes, with LNZ's superior fitness and sharpness in front of goal telling after a competitive first half.

Kody David (LNZ Cherkasy) — The substitute opened the scoring on 59 minutes, just 14 minutes after coming on at half-time. His goal broke the deadlock and changed the complexion of the match entirely.

Talles Brener (LNZ Cherkasy) — The Brazilian midfielder started the match and played a key role throughout, capping his performance with a goal in the 90th minute to seal the 4-0 win.

Tedi Tsara (LNZ Cherkasy) — Scored the third goal on 85 minutes to put the result beyond doubt, finishing clinically after sustained LNZ pressure.

Player of the match: Kody David (LNZ Cherkasy) — his goal from the bench turned the game.

The 0-0 half-time scoreline suggests MTK matched LNZ for the first 45 minutes, but the second-half stats tell a different story. LNZ's four goals from 59 minutes onwards — a rate of one every 7.75 minutes — reflects a gulf in both fitness and sharpness as the game wore on. MTK managed only one yellow card (24th minute) as a defensive action, and the fact that LNZ scored through a substitute, a trialist, and two regulars underlines the squad depth Ponomarev is building.

LNZ's pre-season form shows a clear upward curve: 2-6 vs Sturm Graz (30 June), 2-1 vs Koper (5 July), 4-0 vs MTK Budapest (11 July), followed by a 1-0 win over Olimpija Ljubljana later the same day.

LNZ Cherkasy, who finished runners-up in the Ukrainian Premier League in 2025/26, continued their unbeaten pre-season run in Slovenia. The Cherkasy side face Dinamo Zagreb on 14 July before their competitive campaign begins with a UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie against Gent on 23 July 2026.

MTK Budapest, preparing for the 2026/27 OTP Bank Liga season which starts on 25 July against ZTE FC, played two matches on the same day — also facing FC Koper later on 11 July. The Hungarian side's pre-season schedule includes further friendlies against HR-Rent Kozármisleny and KFC Komarno on 18 July.

A one-sided second half exposed a significant gap in quality between a Ukrainian silver-medalist side preparing for European football and a Hungarian top-flight team in the early stages of pre-season. LNZ's movement and finishing after the break was clinical. MTK will take positives from a disciplined first half but will need to address the defensive collapse that followed the opening goal.