Ferencváros secured a decisive victory against Swedish club Malmö in the fifth round of the UEFA Europa League regular season at the Groupama Arena in Budapest on Thursday evening, taking a significant step toward qualification for the knockout stage.
The Hungarian champions took an early two-goal lead within just over ten minutes, courtesy of a brace from Barnabás Varga. However, the visitors quickly responded, narrowing the gap with a penalty scored by Norwegian Erik Botheim. After the half-time break, Brazilian Kady Borges restored Ferencváros’ lead with a stunning goal, and Frenchman Ibrahim Cissé sealed the 4–1 victory with a well-placed header.
‘Barnabás Varga has taken the lead as the top scorer of the Europe League’
Ferencváros have climbed three places to 11th in the standings, with their nine points likely to secure qualification. According to UEFA simulations, an average of 7.6 points is typically needed to advance in February to the knockout stage. The top eight will progress directly to the quarter-finals, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff for a spot in the last 16.
Barnabás Varga, who netted a brace against Malmö, has taken the lead as the top scorer of the Europe League. The Hungarian star, with five goals in the competition so far, has surpassed notable players such as Manchester United’s Norwegian forward Rasmus Højlund.
‘I’m happy about it, but that’s not the most important thing,’ Varga said after the match. ‘They say nine points might be enough to qualify, but we are a professional team, and we don’t approach games with that mindset. We aim to give our maximum effort in every match. That’s our goal for the next three games,’ he highlighted.
In the next round, Ferencváros will travel to Greece to face PAOK.
Watch the highlights below:
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