Györ aim for the top again

The end of last season was far from ideal for Györi Audi ETO KC. They dismissed coach Gabor Danyi only days before the Hungarian Cup final and two weeks prior to the DELO EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, lost the domestic championship against their greatest historical rival FTC for the first time since 2015, and could not fight their way into the Champions League final — not even with the help of returning mastermind Ambros Martin.

This season will definitely be hard, not only because of the developing FTC team in the Hungarian league but also due to the Olympics — having 12 players from the roaster in Tokyo made the proper regeneration impossible for a considerable part of the team. But the leading club of recent years are calm, positive and motivated about the 2021/22 season.

Main facts

• Györ could not defend their domestic league title last season and missed out on the DELO EHF Champions League trophy in 2020/21 after winning the three consecutive years prior, which will definitely make the team even more eager for success
• coach Martin replaced Gabor Danyi at the end of last season, with the goal of returning to the top not only in Hungary, but Europe
• Eduarda Amorim Taleska left the club after 12 years, departing for Rostov, while Anita Görbicz retired from her active career, but will stick with the club as sports director
• two players from FTC — Nadine Schatzl and Noémi Háfra — have joined the team, while Crina Pintea returned. But the most interesting newcomer is definitely South Korea’s biggest national team star Eun Hee Ryu

Main question: Can Györ return to the top of Europe with Ambros Martin?

Although Györ were considered one of the most powerful teams and had the greatest chance for the ultimate success, something seemed to be missing from the list of ingredients in 2020/21.

The Hungarian powerhouse finished last season with rather disappointing results, and now Martin is expected to put that missing piece back in its place and lead the team to the throne for what would be his fifth Champions League trophy with the side.

The Spanish coach also had some disappointment during his period in Russia, but these have surely only made him even hungrier for success. Martin will have to adapt to the team’s rather changed playing style so he will be kept busy during the first months of his return.

Under the spotlight: Eun Hee Ryu

The 31-year-old right back from Korea made her debut in Europe with Paris 92 in the 2019/20 season, but due to the pandemic she returned to her country and former team, Busan, before the next season.

Ryu’s best global result with the national team was a fourth-place finish at the 2012 London Olympic Games, where she scored 43 goals during the tournament. She has also collected gold medals from the Asian Games and the Asian Championship.

At the 2019 World Championship, even though her national team only ranked 11th, she managed to score 69 goals in eight matches and finish as the second top scorer of the tournament. No doubt, Ryu is well known as a highly dangerous attacker and shooter.

How they rate themselves

After losing the Hungarian league and not being able to defend their Champions League title, Györ aim for no less than a return to the top. “For us, the highest goals are the ‘normal’ ones: the minimum target is reaching the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest again, and once we secure this, of course, we want to win it,” said club president Dr Csaba Bartha.

They managed to convince Martin to return after two years spent on the bench at Rostov-Don, which could be a crucial step as Györ won four of their five Champions League titles and set the stage for the fifth with him.

The campaign for success at Györ contains another key ingredient: a powerful roster. Even though some great names have left the club, others have joined, and the Hungarian side are definitely on the list of top picks to be the final winners of this series.

“It is not easy to play here, as everyone expects that Györ must win all the matches, but, in my opinion, we have an extremely strong roster this season,” said Bartha.

“We have a new team — some key players have left the club — but I am positive, as the core of the team stayed together. And looking at the playing quality of our newcomers, I believe we can be a bit stronger than we were last season,” said Stine Oftedal, who was elected the Champions League All-star Team centre back for 2020/21.

The Norwegian also shared her expectations about the upcoming season and the goals set by the team, showing there is no doubt that everyone at Györ will be working for the highest spot on the podium. “Winning is a wonderful feeling, and we would like to live through this feeling as many times as possible during the 2021/22 season,” said Oftedal.  

Did you know?

It will be the first season after 12 years without the classic Görbicz-Amorim duo. The team lost two of their greatest leaders as Görbicz retired while Amorim decided to continue with Russian powerhouse, Rostov-Don.

This drastic change will see its effects in how the team steps on court. Throughout the years there was a ritual developed while the team were waiting in the corridor for their names to be called: Anita Görbicz, standing in front, would look back over her teammates and ask only “Idalina?” She was checking on Eduarda Idalina Amorim Taleska, who ended the line of players, to see if everyone was ready for the fight.

What the numbers say

12 players of the 2021/22 roster participated in the Olympic Games, therefore, Martin started the summer preparation with only five players at the first training on 21 July.

It will be interesting to see how the Spanish coach can work with this rather new and changed team, as only four remaining players – Oftedal, Anne Mette Hansen, Csenge Fodor and Crina Pintea – played under Martin’s guidance in 2018.

Newcomers and left the club

Newcomers: Eun Hee Ryu (Busan), Linn Blohm (Baia Mare), Jelena Despotovic (DVSC Schaeffler), Crina Pintea (CSM Bucuresti), Noemi Hafra (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria), Nadine Schatzl (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria), Julia Farkas (Györi Audi ETO KC junior team)

Left the club: Amanda Kurtovic (HC Dunarea Braila), Beatrice Edwige and Eduarda Amorim (Rostov-Don), Anita Görbicz (retired), Szidonia Puhalak (Siófok KC), Laura Kürthi (loan to MTK Budapest), Brigitta Csekő (loan to Mosonmagyaróvár KC)

Past achievements

Women’s EHF Champions League participations (including 2021/22 season): 19
Winners (5): 2012/13, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19
Runners-up (3): 2008/09, 2011/12, 2015/16
Semi-finals (5): 2006/07, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2020/21
Quarter-finals (1): 2014/15
Group phase (2): 2000/01, 2005/06

Other EC records

EHF Cup:
Runners-up (4): 1998/99, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05

Cup Winners’ Cup:
Runners-up (1): 2005/06
Semi-finals (1): 2002/03
Last 16 (1): 1999/00

Hungarian league: 15 titles (1957, 1959, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Hungarian Cup: 15 titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)