Diosgyori VTK vs Zemplín Michalovce

The only goal arrived in the 34th minute. Ágoston Bényei drove forward, shaped to shoot with his left, and saw his effort deflect off a Zemplín defender. The loose ball looped up invitingly, and Babinszky — making his first appearance for the club in a DVTK shirt — rose to head home from close range.

DVTK used a completely different XI in each half, as promised by head coach Takács Péter before the match, with no player exceeding 45 minutes. The first-half lineup included trialist Norbert Gálfi, while the second half featured summer signing Gábor Molnár (returned to the club) and Niklas Krone.

Zemplín Michalovce, managed by Anton Šoltis, also rotated heavily. They introduced former Arsenal academy player Kido Taylor-Hart for the second half alongside other changes. The Slovak side's best moments failed to trouble DVTK goalkeeper Gábor Megyeri in the second period. The only booking of the afternoon went to Zemplín's Tae-rang Park in the 75th minute for a late challenge.

The turning point was the only goal. With both sides treating the friendly primarily as a fitness exercise — DVTK had completed eight training sessions in the build-up week, including a running session the day before — the match was always unlikely to produce a flurry of chances. Babinszky's 34th-minute header gave DVTK a lead they never looked like surrendering against a Zemplín side that created little of note.

Bence Babinszky — The striker scored the decisive goal on his DVTK debut, reacting quickest to Bényei's deflected shot to head home. A promising start for the new arrival.

Ágoston Bényei — Instrumental in the goal, the midfielder's driving run and left-footed shot created the deflection that Babinszky finished.

Gábor Megyeri — The DVTK second-half goalkeeper had a quiet but steady 45 minutes, untroubled by Zemplín's attack.

Player of the match: Bence Babinszky

The match stats page shows just one goal from four total shots — reflecting the early-stage nature of pre-season. Both teams prioritised physical conditioning over tactical sharpness. DVTK's wholesale half-time changes meant any rhythm was disrupted, which is standard for a first friendly. Zemplín's 75th-minute yellow card (Tae-rang Park) was the only disciplinary incident. Possession data was not recorded, but DVTK controlled the first half and managed the second without alarm.

For Diósgyőri VTK, this is the opening fixture of a six-match pre-season programme. They face NB III side Ózd-Sajóvölgye on 1 July, then Mezőkövesd (NB II) on 4 July, before hosting Újpest in a 2×60-minute friendly on 11 July. The competitive season begins on 26 July in the Merkantil Bank Liga (NB II).

For Zemplín Michalovce, this was their first public outing of pre-season as they prepare for the 2026/27 Slovak Niké Liga campaign. Their next friendly has not been confirmed at the time of writing.

A textbook first pre-season friendly: low intensity, heavy rotation, and a single moment of quality deciding the outcome. Babinszky's goal will please the coaching staff, but the real work — fitness and tactical fine-tuning — lies ahead in the remaining five friendlies.