Giramot beat Karcsag 2-0 in the Hungarian Second League's seventh round on Saturday, September fifth. The hosts took both goals in the first half, and when the whistle blew they were five points clear of the visitors in the table. We had tipped a home win at 43 per cent confidence before kick-off, and the scoreline proved us right.
First-half efficiency
C. Novak opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute, and by then Giramot were already pressing high up the pitch. A. Ivan added a second just before half-time, a fortuitous effort that caught Karcsag sleeping. To be fair, the visitors had not been entirely passive, but they could not cope with the movement in the final third.
Four substitutions came immediately after the break, all for Karcsag. M. Halacsi, A. Girsik, L. Bela and M. Kovalovszki were thrown in together, a clear sign that the coach wanted to change the tempo. Giramot made their first change in the seventy-ninth minute, bringing on M. Madarasz.
The yellow cards piled up on both sides. A. Ivan was booked for Giramot in the forty-second minute, while O. Fekete, M. Gyorgye, L. Mona and Z. Vasvari all saw the referee's card. By the end there were five yellows between them, a reminder that the game was getting physical.
The statistics tell the same story as the scoreboard. Giramot had slightly more possession at 51 per cent and hit the target three times, while Karcsag managed zero shots on target from five attempts. It was not a dominant display, but it was enough to keep their side in it and close out the result.
After seven games Giramot sit fifth with 13 points, four wins, one draw and two defeats. Karcsag are seventh with 10 points, two wins and four draws. The gap is small, but the confidence from a clean sheet and a predicted win will have helped.