FTC: „An unforgettable 90 minutes awaits us” – Cherchesov is preparing for the derby against Újpest

Winning the cup is not an unfamiliar feeling for Stanislav Cherchesov. In 2016, the Green and Whites' head coach lifted the trophy as Legia's trainer after winning the cup series in Poland. The experienced professional has lived through countless battles but in recent years, he hasn't been able to participate in a cup final as he was the Russian national team's head coach...

"The cup series is a special field," Stanislav Cherchesov replied to our portal's question. "The Polish Cup win with Legia is a good memory, my team and I had a great success. I've always liked such series, and the cup final is always a kind of holiday. Not just for the footballers, but the coach as well."

The 58-year-old Russian head coach of Ferencváros evaluated the match in his usual calm style after Wednesday night's 4–1 MOL Hungarian Cup semifinal win against Győri ETO. Russian journalists have prepared Hungarian media workers in vain that Stanislav Cherchesov sometimes responds rather harshly, but this has not yet happened. According to the trainer, winning in Győr could only have seemed easy from the outside.

"To get to the final, a very good performance was needed. The result may reflect something else, and the match may have seemed easy from the outside, but we had to fight for the victory, to advance. Let's not forget that our opponent reached the semifinals not accidentally; they eliminated Puskás Akadémia and Fehérvár on the way. What is important to me is that we had the right preparation, we expected a defensive opponent, and this was really the case. We played well and had some very good individual performances."

Franck Boli doubled (more in our boxed text), Kristoffer Zachariassen, following his two goals in his last two league games, was also successful in the Hungarian Cup semifinals, and Tokmac Nguen also showed spectacular dribbles.

On the way to the MOL Hungarian Cup final, Fradi eliminated Hatvan, its county's first-class team, and Tököl, then NB II Vasas, NB I Honvéd, and the second-tier ETO. In the final on May 11, Paks will be the opponent of the Green and Whites from the capital. Ferencváros could raise the trophy again after 2017, so with a possible victory, Stanislav Cherchesov could write his name in the club's history book.

Does the Russian coach think of the cup success?

"We can be together with our fans at the Puskás Arena, and this is a celebration in itself. We hope it will be an unforgettable cup final," the head coach responded to the idea. "As a coach, I have met the Paks team once when we surprisingly lost to 3-0 at home. But that match was a long time ago, and I've left that unpleasant ninety minutes behind me for quite a while. We learned from that, too... To be honest, I am not thinking about the Hungarian Cup final just yet; playing against Újpest on Sunday is more important.”

Oh, yes, the derby!

From 5.30pm on Sunday, the two ancient rivals, leading team Ferencváros welcomes fourth-place Újpest in the Groupama Aréna. Stanislav Cherchesov says they have nothing but to do their job and keep the last few weeks' good performance. With five rounds to go, Ferencváros is eleven points ahead of the second-placed Puskás Akadémia and 13 points ahead of Kisvárda, which is in third place on the podium. A good match is in sight against the Purple and Whites, as Miloš Kruščić's team has also found their way in recent weeks – apart from their 3-0 defeat in the Hungarian Cup semifinal against Paks.

"We play on home grounds, in front of our own fans, in the best stadium! What more do we need?! Plus, it's going to be a full house at the Groupama Aréna, so hopefully, an exciting and unforgettable 90 minutes awaits us. I don't like it when we get too far ahead of a game, I don't want to over-explain this story, our fans will do their job in the stands, and we will do ours on the pitch with maximum enthusiasm."

Translated by Vanda Orosz

HUNGARIAN CUP
SEMIFINAL
ETO FC–FERENCVÁROS 1–4 (0–2)
Győr,ETO Park,6000spectators.Referee:József Erdős (Péter Kóbor, Tamás Márkus)
ETO FC:Fadgyas – K. Kovács, M. Kiss (Bacsa, 62.), Csonka, Lipták, Forgács – Óvári (Vernes, 62.), Tuboly (Hanzli P., 78.), Toma, B. Farkas (Klausz M., 78.) – Vitális (Berki, 62.).Head coach: László Klausz
FERENCVÁROS: Dibusz – Somália, Blažič (Kovačević, 56.), S. Mmaee, Pászka – Esiti, Loncar (Bešić, 74.) – Auzqui (Laidouni, 56.), Zachariassen, Nguen (Marin, 64.) – Boli.Head coach: Stanislav Cherchesov
Goal scorers: Bacsa (73.), and Boli (23., 52.), Zachariassen (32.), Lipták (78. – own goal)