Handball in the NB I delivered a close contest on Friday evening as Buda Farkasok hosted Curgau, with the visitors taking a 27:29 victory. The result keeps the away side above the halfway point of their opening fixtures while leaving the hosts winless after two outings. By then it was clear enough what each team needed from this one, though neither side made things easy for themselves. And here's the thing about these early-season games — you rarely see the full picture until the final whistle.
Curgau came into the match sitting fifth on three points from two games, having secured one win and suffered one defeat so far. Buda Farkasok occupied twelfth place with zero points from two draws, the kind of position that offers little comfort but plenty of time to turn things around. The visitors had drawn 23:23 with PLER in their most recent outing, while the hosts had fallen 24:25 to Szigetszentmiklósi KSK. To be fair, neither side was running particularly hot going into this fixture.
What happened on the floor wasn't particularly dramatic in terms of events, but the margin told its own story. Twenty-seven goals for the home side against twenty-nine for the visitors meant both attacks found space at times, though Curgau managed to string together enough consistent pressure to hold on. The prediction we made before kick-off called for an away win at fifty-two percent confidence, and that came to pass. Not a blowout by any means, but enough to shift momentum in the right direction for the travelling side.
Looking at where this leaves both teams in the standings, Curgau now sit on four points after two games with a win and a draw. Buda Farkasok remain on zero points from two matches, still searching for that first victory after two draws. The gap between fifth and twelfth might not look enormous, but points matter more than positions at this stage of the season. These early fixtures tend to settle into patterns that rarely change dramatically.
The visitors' recent history with this opponent adds another layer — they had lost 26:28 to Buda Farkasok back in April, so this result represents something of a reversal. Curgau have shown they can compete against these sides when they commit, though consistency remains the question. Buda Farkasok will need to find a way to convert those draws into wins if they want to climb away from the bottom of the table. The season is young, but already the hierarchy is beginning to take shape.
