Pushkaš Akadémia edged MTK 3-2 in the NB I regular season on Friday night, a result that tightened the gap between second and sixth place as the early campaign continued. The visitors took the lead twice before MTK fought back, but a stoppage-time strike from L. Colley decided the contest at the Szusza Ferenc Stadium.
M. Kern opened the scoring for the hosts in the eighteenth minute, a moment that settled the nerves of a side still finding its rhythm. The visitors responded quickly through G. Harutyunyan in the twenty-third, and by then the pattern was clear — this would not be a match decided by possession alone. MTK had 58 per cent of the ball but could only create one big chance, while the away side managed four despite less territory.
The second half belonged to Pushkaš Akadémia. G. Jurek equalised for MTK in the fifty-second, dragging his side back level after what looked like a visitors' victory. But Z. Kerezsi restored the lead in the seventy-eighth, and MTK were left flat-footed as the clock ticked down. The hosts threw everything at it in the closing stages, but the away goalkeeper made seven saves to keep his side alive.
Colley's late goal in the ninetieth eighth minute was the difference, and the visitors held on despite a frantic finale. MTK finished with nine shots on target against seven, yet the statistics told a different story — 80 attacks to 53, 106 passes into the final third to 64. The numbers did not lie, but they did not explain why the away side took all three points.
The result leaves Pushkaš Akadémia in second with twelve points from seven games, four wins and three defeats. MTK remain sixth on nine points, two victories and three draws. The visitors had lost their last two league matches before this win, while the hosts had drawn three of their last five — form shifted in the final moments of a game that refused to stay even.