Team Belgium Edges Hungary, Wins 2nd Game of 2016

AFI | American Football | 11/01/2016

Photo credit: INDA Foto

Team Belgium – the Belgian Barbarians – downed the host Team Hungary 20-17 in Budapest, Hungary in the year’s final international exhibition game in Europe.

Hungary was coming off their first win ever in international competition while the Belgians had defeated Spain earlier in the summer.

Running back Arkadi Meerschout paced the Barbarians with two touchdowns while quarterback Tomas Firszt scored one on his own.

Hungary opened the scoring kicking a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. But the experience of the Belgians began to prevail as they scored two straight touchdown and seemed to have the game in hand taking a seemingly secure 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

But then the fireworks erupted as the two teams scored three touchdowns in the last four minutes of play.

Hungary came roaring back closing the gap to 13-10. Then Meerschout scored his second touchdown and the eventual game winner to increase Belgium’s lead to 20-10. Hungary would not quit and with just over 30 seconds on the clock scored to close the gap to 20-17.

Belgium managed to recover the onside kick and hang on for the win.

Both teams only began building their programs in the last few years and this was only the fourth game for Hungary. The Belgians began rebuilding their national team program in 2014 and since then have played a total of six games, winning four of them.