As the Hungarian League regular season nears its climax, drama intensified with crucial matchups among the top teams in round 24.

Honved delivered the day’s biggest upset at Budapest’s Nyeki Imre Uszoda, defeating OSC Budapest convincingly, 15:9. Despite the impressive performance, this victory won’t propel Honved into the playoff semifinals. Marton Szivos’s squad remains seven points adrift of both fourth-placed BVSC and fifth-placed OSC with only two rounds to go.

Elsewhere in Budapest, the clash between Vasas and Szolnok provided nail-biting entertainment. Vasas emerged victorious after a dramatic penalty shootout (12:11, 7:7 regular time), securing crucial points to stay second, now one point ahead of third-placed Szolnok with a game in hand.

Ferencvaros continued their unbeaten streak by comfortably beating BVSC 14:8. Despite the defeat, BVSC retained fourth place thanks to Honved’s surprising win over OSC.

Szolnok initially controlled their game against Vasas, establishing a 3:1 lead in the second quarter and keeping their two-goal cushion at halftime (4:2). Vasas captain Bence Batori sparked a comeback with two penalty conversions at the start of the third period, tying the match at 4:4. Although Szolnok briefly pulled ahead again (7:5), goals from Lorinc Gabor and another from Batori in the final quarter leveled the game at 7:7, sending it to penalties. Szolnok’s Bence Szabo missed a crucial shot in the shootout, paving the way for Vasas’s narrow triumph. Batori led Vasas with four goals, while Nikola Dedovic added three. Kaksteder, Cseh, Szabo, and Krasznai each scored twice for Szolnok.

Honved, despite no longer competing for semifinal positions, played passionately against OSC. The match was tight only until midway through the first quarter when Honved pulled away decisively, moving from a 2:2 tie to a commanding 6:2 advantage. Leading 8:4 at halftime, Honved secured victory with a dominant third quarter (4:1). Bendeguz Kevi starred with four goals, while teammates Rolf Bencz and Bendeguz Ekler netted three apiece. OSC’s Lars ten Broek also scored three.

Ferencvaros’s victory over BVSC lacked suspense, consistent with their dominant season form. An early 4:0 lead set the tone, with Dusan Mandic’s four-goal performance spearheading Ferencvaros’s comfortable 14:8 win.

A thrilling finale in Debrecen saw Szeged clinch a narrow 9:8 win against DVSE, scoring the decisive goal just three seconds before the final whistle.

Results – Hungarian League, Round 24:

• Vasas – Szolnok 12:11 (1:2, 1:2, 4:3, 1:0, PSO 5:4)
• BVSC – Ferencvaros 8:14 (0:4, 3:5, 3:4, 2:1)
• UVSE – Eger 8:15 (1:2, 1:2, 3:5, 3:6)
• PVSK Pecs – Kaposvar 11:14 (2:4, 4:4, 1:2, 4:4)
• Szentes – Miskolc 13:11 (3:1, 5:2, 2:5, 3:3)
• Debrecen – Szeged 8:9 (1:1, 2:3, 3:3, 2:2)
• OSC Budapest – Honved 9:15 (2:5, 2:3, 1:4, 4:3)

Standings after Round 24:

1. Ferencvaros – 72 pts (24 matches)
2. Vasas – 58 pts (23 matches)
3. Szolnok – 57 pts (24 matches)
4. BVSC – 53 pts (24 matches)
5. OSC Budapest – 53 pts (24 matches)
6. Honved – 46 pts (24 matches)
7. Szeged – 34 pts (24 matches)
8. Kaposvar – 29 pts (23 matches)
9. Szentes – 26 pts (24 matches)
10. PVSK Pecs – 18 pts (24 matches)
11. Eger – 19 pts (24 matches)
12. Miskolc – 17 pts (24 matches)
13. UVSE – 16 pts (24 matches)
14. DVSE – 13 pts (24 matches)

*Head-to-head tie-breaker: BVSC – OSC 8:3 and 10:13