Image via Ekstraklasa SA
The Polish top flight saw less games than usual this weekend as three of the four teams competing in Europa Conference League qualifying elected to postpone their fixtures for this round. Therefore there were only six games, although they were still full of great goals and exciting action.
Warta Poznań 0-4 Wisła Płock
Plenty of goals to start the weekend on Friday, with Płock continuing their impressive start to the season. Rafał Wolski opened the scoring with a low placed finish from the edge of the box in the 13th minute. Initially ruled out for offside, a VAR check confirmed he was in fact onside. Wolski grabbed his second seven minutes later, a surging run through the Warta half before a firm strike into the bottom left corner saw Adrian Lis with no chance of stopping it.
Speaking of the Warta keeper, Lis continued his impressive form from the first week, but once again the scoreline betrayed this. Following Wolski’s brace, new signing Davo got in on the act. His first goal was simple enough, a finish from six yards on the cusp of halftime. The Spaniard then struck after halftime, scoring another tap-in. Some good goalkeeping from both sides managed to keep the scoreline the same to full-time.
My Man of the Match: Rafał Wolski
Jagiellonia Białystok 0-2 Widzew Łódź
Two stunning goals in this match saw the newly-promoted side victorious, but both of these goals came closer to the end of the match. At the start, it was the home team in the ascendency, forcing some decent saves from the Widzew keeper. Then, lapses in the Jagiellonia defence led to the visitors coming close on a number of occasions.
The second half was a very even and end-to-end affair, before Bartłomiej Pawłowski stepped up in the 71st minute to arc home a free kick off the post. It was a strike worthy of winning any game, but Jordi Sanchez made sure of the result twelve minutes later. He picked up the ball at the halfway line and set off towards the goal with no pressure on him. Once the Jagiellonia defence realised what was happening, he simply slalomed round them before sliding the ball past the onrushing keeper into the net.
My Man of the Match: Dominik Kun
Cracovia 2-0 Korona Kielce
This game started amidst terrible weather in Kraków, but the weather didn’t really make too much of a difference. The opening goal was an own goal, with Grzegorz Szymusik heading into his own net from a great Kamil Pestka cross. The Pasy were causing all sorts of problems throughout the game for Korona. Despite their dominance, they failed to get a second goal until the 94th minute, when Cracovia countered and with some nice reverse passes found Matias Hebo, who slotted the ball into the goal.
My Man of the Match: Kamil Pestka
Legia Warszawa 2-0 Zagłębie Lubin
Łazienkowska played host to Saturday night’s encounter, which saw the home side secure victory in a game that was anything but a walkover for Legia. Young Kacper Tobiasz, Legia’s new starting goalkeeper, made a series of great saves throughout the match to keep a clean sheet. Legia first goal came before half time, a great Filip Mladenović cross being met by the stooping head of Paweł Wszołek. Zagłębie had so many chances throughout the second half it seemed certain they would at least equalise, but it was not to be as Ernest Muçi was brought down in the box, and Wszołek scored the resulting penalty to seal the win with the last kick of the game.
My Man of the Match: Kacper Tobiasz
Śląsk Wrocław 2-1 Pogoń Szczecin
Pogoń were the only team playing Conference League qualifiers not to postpone their league fixtures, which whilst commendable perhaps cost them in this tie. Prior to kick-off, Śląsk celebrated the career of Piotr Celeban, who retired this summer. The home team raced into an early lead as Dennis Jastrzembski scored from a counter attack. Despite this, Śląsk sat back and invited pressure, with Pogoń coming close on a number of occasions before Vahan Bichakhchyan equalised at the half-hour mark, another long-range effort to add to his growing portfolio of goals from outside the box. Erik Exposito then had a goal cancelled out for offside five minutes before the half-time whistle blew.
Śląsk started the second half much like they had started the first, and ten minutes later they got their reward. Victor Garcia recycled the ball by floating a great cross onto the head of Daniel Gretarsson, who flicked it on into the bottom corner of the net. Pogoń never really managed to respond, and it was Śląsk’s half to see out.
My Man of the Match: Vahan Bichakhchyan
Stal Mielec 1-1 Radomiak Radom
Monday night’s game saw last weekend’s shock winners (against Lech Poznań) Stal take on Radomiak, who are hoping to build on last season’s impressive 7th placed finish. The first half remained goalless, with the visitors having the best chances, although Stal managed some good chances of their own. The second half started similarly to the end of the first, and Dawid Abramowicz scored for Radomiak with a nice cushioned volley back across the keeper. Stal didn’t give up, and debutant Said Hadulic scored from a corner. Radomiak sought to respond, but couldn’t retake the lead despite some decent chances.
My Man of the Match: Thabo Cele
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