Viktória Gyori-Lukács: "Only victory is acceptable for us"

Before Vipers Kristiansand began to dominate by winning three consecutive EHF FINAL4 Women titles, Györi Audi ETO KC was the team to beat as the most successful club in EHF Champions League since the turn of the century.

According to Gyori-Lukács, the EHF Champions League presents increasingly tougher challenges for them. "We have a very tough task ahead; handball is changing rapidly, and everyone wants to beat us," she said. However, the Győr team consistently makes it to the FINAL4, proving their strength and perseverance.

At the beginning of the season, Per Johansson took over as the club's new coach, and though Viktória recognises his impact, she believes Györ's season is not simply down to the coaching change.

"Mentally, we are unbreakable, and we also have experience on our side, but Per Johansson's role is huge," she says. Gyori-Lukács attributes Györ's success to team unity and strong defence, allowing them to substitute players in any position with the same high level of performance.

The 28-year-old wing is the top scorer with 42 goals among Hungarian players and ranks highly within the entire team. She credits this achievement to the trust of her new coach, who has experienced the pressure of EHF FINAL4 Women multiple times, which boosted her confidence and motivated her to perform better. "Since Per Johansson arrived, I feel more trusted, and I want to repay that trust. The team's unity and proper motivation also contribute to our success.”

The green-whites started the season with ten wins in a row in Europe’s top flight which was followed by three losses and one draw at the end of the group stage, yet they still managed to stay in first place in the group and advance to the quarter-finals, where Norwegian powerhouse and title-holders, Vipers Kristiansand, were their opponents. In Norway, ETO triumphed by seven, 30:23, with Gyori-Lukács scoring twice.

“It was this season’s best game for us, so far. The fact that we won by that many goals calmed us down and even though we lost at home, we never let the second leg out of our hands. We finally proved it to ourselves that we can beat them.”

Györ are trying to find the way back to the throne since their last victory in 2019. A season later, Gyori-Lukács joined and she is also awaiting her first gold medal.

“It does not come to my mind that we are not going to win. Only victory is acceptable for us. This is why I have worked hard since I started to play handball. Moreover, plenty of my teammates will leave the club after this season including Stine Oftedal and for them, we fight with extra motivation. On the other hand, it is also unbelievable that since I joined ETO we always made it to Budapest and the atmosphere there is unmatched in women’s handball."

On the match against Team Esbjerg - the first semi-final on Saturday, June 1 at 15:00 CEST - Gyori-Lukács says that their preparation is still focused on the physical aspect, emphasising endurance. "It will be a very tough duel; I believe the top four teams are in the EHF FINAL4," she says.

Henny Reistad, along with her teammate and ex-Györ player, Nora Mörk, are both in the top 10 scorers this season, and Gyori-Lukács sees Reistad as Esbjerg's key player and neutralising her threat will be crucial for victory. “We have to slow her down, to prevent her to score ten or more goals,” she declares.

In the second semi-final on Saturday, Metz Handball face SG BBM Bietigheim. “The French team is full of experienced players, and their goalkeeper, Hatadou Sako, is among the best. On the other hand, the German club is the ‘dark horse’. Gabriela Goncalves Dias Moreschi is leading the EHF Champions League in saves and their efficiency in crucial moments is incredible as they are on top in both scoring and saving penalty shots. Playing without pressure can be a significant advantage," she adds.

For Gyori-Lukács, the success of Györ and winning the EHF FINAL4 Women are paramount, and she believes recent success with the Hungarian national team will spur her on to the top of the club game.

"The success in Olympic qualification provides additional energy for me. Playing in the Olympics is one of the biggest motivations, and at 28, I'm preparing for my second," she adds, firmly.

However, it still remains a possibility that Györi Audi ETO KC will not win anything in 2023/24, as they lost the final against their arch-rival FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in the Hungarian cup and currently sit second in the domestic league as FTC leads by two points with three rounds still to be played.

Gyori-Lukács’s current contract runs until 2026, and for now, she is focused on the present. "I only deal with the present; I feel good in Györ, but it would be great to one day live and play in the same city as my husband," she said. This season will be exhausting, but she already has plans for a rest. After Budapest, she and her husband, Mátyás Győri of Tatabánya KC, will travel abroad, with Türkiye being the planned destination, but one of her more immediate goals was to find a perfect gym.

The challenges ahead for Viktória Lukács and Györi Audi ETO KC in the EHF FINAL4 Women start on Saturday 1 June, 15:00 (CEST) against Team Esbjerg, live on EHFTV.

Photos © Aniko Kovacs, pekaroland.hu