Debutants Mosonmagyaróvár enter with high hopes

After only seven seasons as a club since being founded in 2014, Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC finished in third place in the Hungarian league last season to qualify for the group phase of the EHF European League Women 2021/22.

Although the core of Mosonmagyaróvár's squad is Hungarian, some experienced players from Montenegro, Serbia and Slovakia have helped the club reach the next level.

Main facts

• Mosonmagyaróvár, or M’óvár as the locals say, is only a few kilometres from both the Austrian and Slovakian borders
• although their own UFM Arena was finished in 2017, they will play their home games in Györ
• their surprise third-place finish in the Hungarian league earned them direct entry into the group phase
• the squad is a mixture of young, mostly Hungarian players, led by experienced coach Janos Gyurka, a 297-time former Hungarian international

Are Mosonmagyaróvár dark horse contenders?

Although this is their first season in any EHF competition and their name might be still fairly unknown to many European handball fans, there is no reason to underestimate this Hungarian outfit ahead of their campaign in group A.

They rely on their quick, punctual attacks, with a string of players able to score in any situation. The two Tóths — Gabriella Tóth and team captain Eszter Tóth — are both great scorers and providers of assists.

In the domestic league, it is very common for the team to finish with 30 or more goals. As scoring is not their main issue, they might have to step up in defence in order to do well in Europe.

Under the spotlight: Gabriella Tóth

Gabriella Tóth recently rejoined Mosonmagyaróvár after playing for Siófok KC, Érd KC and Győri Audi ETO KC. The Hungarian national team player used to play for Mosonmagyaróvár as part of the deal where Győr loaned out young, talented athletes to M’óvár in order for them to have more playing time and evolve.

Although the 25-year-old back leads the club's list of top scorers, she did not participate at the 2021 IHF Women's World Championship in Spain, unlike her teammate, Eszter Tóth, who is in second place and only a few goals behind on the aforementioned ranking.

How they rate themselves

For 29-year-old centre back Eszter Tóth, this season brings many different challenges. "Being part of the Hungarian national team at the World Championship in December and taking part in the EHF European League with our young club is a great motivation and test at the same time for me, not to mention the domestic tournaments," said the team captain.

While Eszter Tóth is unsure about which team deserves to be considered favourites in the competition, she believes that more experience will benefit other teams.

"There are a lot of excellent teams in the latest competition, so it is difficult to say who are the favourites, but I think the more experienced teams do have a certain advantage. I hope we can surprise them and advance to the next round," added Tóth.

Head coach Janos Gyurka is eager for his team to use the group phase to enhance their development: "We are proud and very happy to be part of the EHF European League for the first time in the young history of the club. As a young organisation, we want to learn as much as possible and develop during our first appearance in an EHF competition."

"We play against opponents from different handball cultures, which will be interesting for the squad. Our main goal is to represent Hungarian women's handball in a proper way and to gain experience in an international tournament," added Gyurka about Mosonmagyaróvár's objectives.

Did you know?

As Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC will play their home games in Győr, just like Győri Audi ETO KC in the DELO EHF Champions League and Grundfos Tatabanya KC in the EHF European League Men, Audi Arena will be one of the busiest venues in the handball world.

Mosonmagyaróvár is about 30 minutes away from Győr, so the loyal fans who fill up the UFM Arena can be expected in large numbers in Győr.

Arrivals and departures

Arrivals: Gabriella Tóth (Siófok KC), Kitty Mistina (Békéscsabai ENKSE), Petra Mihály (Dunaújvarosi KKA), Noemi Pásztor (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria), Rebeka Török (Szomathelyi KKA), Brigitta Dora Csekö (Györi Audi ETO KC), Lara Babinsky (MKC junior team), Ana Kojic (Kastamonu Beledyesi GSK), Tanja Asanin (ZORK Jagodina), Michaela Konecna (DHC Sokol Poruba)

Departures: Lili Herczeg (Siófok KC), Maria Holesova (Egospor Kulübü), Flóra Katona (Kisvárda Master Good SE), Dalma Domokos (Alba Fehérvár KC), Bernadett Horváth (retired), Szederke Sirián (Siófok KC), Simona Szarkova (Siófok KC), Emma Hudak (Alba Fehérvár KC), Dóra Kellermann (NEKA), Kitti Gyimesi (Békéscsabai ENKSE), Tamara Tillinger (retired), Michaela Konecna (left in December 2021)

Past achievements

EHF European League Women
Participations (including 2021/22 season): 1

Other:
Hungarian league: third place (2020/21)
Hungarian cup: –