After yesterday's free-kick heroics when they scored two setpieces Honvéd again took an early lead in typically spectacular fashion when Valér Kapacina curled another delightful free-kick from the right edge of the AC Milan penalty area into the top right corner of the net. Kapacina then nearly doubled Honvéd's lead six minutes later but his long-range drive flew just wide of Milan goalkeeper Eddie Gava's right-hand post.
Despite much pressing and probing Honvéd weren't able to unlock the door again this half but at the same time looked comfortable at the back against a Milan side that lookeed devoid of attacking ideas. This all changed after the break though when Milan's right- winger Gianmarco De Feo moved inside to play as a second striker, his pace and willingness to drop deep and run past the central defenders proving highly problematic for Honvéd who were suddenly rooted on the back foot.
De Feo it was who struck Milan's equaliser when a rare Honvéd attack saw Bálint Vécsei advance from the halfway line and force a sprawling save from Eddie Gava in the Milan goal who then blocked Nikola Pantevic's follow-up shot. From the resulting clearance along pass started Milan's counter-attack and the ball found its way to De Feo inside the Honvéd box who exposed Honvéd goalkeeper Antal Nagy by rifling past him and well inside the near post.
De Feo went close again three minutes later when he headed Carlo Calvetti's left-wing cross towards goal but Nagy this time was equal to it. Honvéd slowly worked themselves back into the game though and János Fejes nearly repeated his goalscoring feat of yesterday but a similar free-kick this time curled inches wide of Gava's left upright.
Ten minutes from time Filip Holender nearly gave Honvéd the lead in extraordinary circumstances when he mishit his right-wing cross and his looping slice bounced off the far left part of the crossbar and out of play. Milan had regained the initiative now and Honvéd seemed content to simply see out the eighty minutes. Marco Vita tried to strike the winner for the Italians but his drive from distance was gathered at the second
attempt by Nagy.
Milan's last chance of a winning goal came in the last minute when Marco Bortoli's corner was tipped over the bar by Nagy who then punched his second corner half clear to Milan full-back Rubens Jacopo, but his volley flew a metre wide after finding its way through a
crowd of players.
Therefore it is Budapest Honvéd who advance as Group B winners to meet Panathinaikos in tomorrow's PUSKÁS-SUZUKI CUP Final at 17:00 in the Sóstói Stadion at Székesfehérvár. Milan, meanwhile, finish bottom of the group and will face Videoton Puskás Akadémia in the 5th/6th place play-off at 13:00. Sandwiched between these two matches will be the bronze medal match between Real Madrid and Ferencváros at 15:00.
AC Milan: Gava – Piacenza Jacopo, Guzzo, Bosisio, Calvetti – Speranza, Vita (Di Palma), Strano (Sansonetti), De Feo – Speziale, Pedone (Bortoli)
Budapest Honvéd FC: Nagy B. – Ablonczy, Fejes, Gengeliczki, Szilvási – Csontos, Holender (Prosszel), Kapacina (Rab), Nagy G. (Bozsovics) – Vécsei (Lőrinczi), Erdélyi (Pantovics)
G: Di Feo ill. Kapacina
S: De Feo, Speziale, Csontos, Piacenza Jacopo, Prosszel, Calvetti
