On a warm night at Papara Park, Gabi Kanikovsky was handed 29 minutes of Europa League football off the bench as Ferencváros held on for a 1-0 win away to Trabzonspor in the first leg of their play-off tie, ONE reports.
The contest turned on a single moment early on. Kristoffer Zachariassen rose to meet an Olivér Nagy cross and headed past the Trabzonspor goalkeeper in the 17th minute, a lead the Hungarian champions would not relinquish.
Ferencváros controlled the opening exchanges in Trabzon before their hosts, who fielded Mohamed Salah in search of an equalizer, grew into the game after the break and laid siege to the away goal without finding a way through.
Kanikovsky, capped 16 times by Israel, was introduced in the 61st minute and asked to help see out the lead, working hard defensively as Trabzonspor pushed men forward, according to ONE's account of the match.
His evening ended with a yellow card deep into stoppage time, in the same passage of play that saw a Trabzonspor player sent off in the 96th minute, reducing the hosts to ten men in the closing seconds.
The result leaves Ferencváros firmly in control of the tie heading into the second leg, scheduled for August 27 at the Groupama Aréna in Budapest, with the winner advancing to the Europa League's league phase.
Kanikovsky, a product of Maccabi Tel Aviv's academy born in Ra'anana, came through loan spells at Hapoel Petah Tikva and Hapoel Acre before establishing himself at Maccabi Netanya and, later, back at Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he made 188 appearances and won the Israeli title under Robbie Keane.
He has since moved to Ferencváros and already has a major trophy with the club: the Magyar Kupa, won in May with a 1-0 final victory over Zalaegerszegi at the Puskás Aréna.
For now, though, his role in Trabzon was a supporting one — a late cameo in a result that leaves Ferencváros one game away from the group-stage prize they are chasing again this season.
