Paksi FC stun Belupo with five-goal away display

NK Slaven Belupo and Paksi FC served up an entertaining spectacle in Koprivnica, with the Hungarian visitors proving far too clinical for their hosts. What promised to be a routine pre-season workout quickly became a high-scoring affair, with both defences found wanting on multiple occasions. The crowd witnessed plenty of attacking football, though the home side's setup struggled to contain Paksi's movement and precision in the final third.

Paksi struck first when Balázs Tóth found the net in the 11th minute, only for an own goal from Bálint Balogh to level matters five minutes later. The visitors regained the lead through Gergely Gyurkits's penalty conversion in the 17th minute, and the momentum seemed to be with the away side. Belupo pushed hard before half-time but found themselves trailing 1-2 going into the interval as Tóth doubled his tally just before the whistle.

The second half saw Belupo search for a way back into the match, with Jovan Mitrović pulling one back in the 67th minute to make it 2-3. Gyurkits added a second penalty of the afternoon four minutes later to extend Paksi's advantage, before Bence Wiesner made it five in the 74th minute. Belupo refused to surrender entirely, with László Bošnjak converting a penalty of his own in the 84th minute, but it proved too little too late.

Paksi's victory highlighted the quality they possess on the road, with their attacking play too much for Belupo to handle despite a spirited late rally. The away side's efficiency in front of goal, particularly from the penalty spot, made the difference in what was ultimately a convincing win. For Belupo, the result served as a reality check ahead of their competitive campaign, with defensive vulnerabilities clearly exposed during this friendly encounter.